Pakistan Summons Afghan Envoy After Suicide Attack Kills 15 Police Officers

Pakistan summoned a senior Afghan diplomat on Monday to lodge a formal protest over a suicide attack in its northwest that killed 15 police officers. Officials handed the complaint to the Afghan charge d'affaires and warned that Islamabad reserves the right to respond decisively against the perpetrators.

The attack occurred late Saturday in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near a security post, after which several gunmen opened fire. Some officers died in the shootout while others were killed when part of the building collapsed.

Four officers were wounded. Pakistani authorities have blamed the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, for the assault. A newly formed splinter group called Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan claimed responsibility. Officials have accused the splinter group of acting as a front for the TTP.

A detailed investigation, including evidence collected and technical intelligence, indicates the attack was masterminded by terrorists residing in Afghanistan, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Islamabad has long accused the Taliban government of sheltering the TTP, a separate group but closely allied to the Afghan Taliban.

The ministry told the Afghan diplomat that if the Taliban regime continues to harbour these terrorist organizations, Pakistan will not compromise on its national security or on the safety and protection of its citizens. There was no immediate comment from Kabul on the protest.