errorist attacks by various militant organisations are on the rise, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The KP government appears to lack the capacity as well as the political will to address the enormous law and order challenges.

During the recent attack on the Bannu cantonment, the provincial government remained completely silent. The indifference shown by the provincial government towards such an attack is alarming.

The Inter-Services Public Relations reported: “In the early hours of July 15, a group of 10 terrorists attacked the Bannu cantonment. Their attempt to enter the cantonment was thwarted by the security forces personnel. The terrorists were forced thus to ram an explosive-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall of the cantonment.”

The resulting explosion led to the collapse of a portion of the wall and damaged the adjoining infrastructure. It also cause the martyrdom of eight soldiers, namely, Naib Subedar Muhammad Shahzad, 44, a resident of Poonch district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir; Havildar Zill-i-Hussain, 39, a resident of Khushab district; Havildar Shahzad Ahmed, 28, a resident of Neelum district of AJK; Sepoy Ashfaq Hussain Khan, 30, a resident of Muzaffarabad district of AJK; Sepoy Soban Majeed, 22, a resident of Muzaffarabad district of AJK; Sepoy Imtiaz Khan, 30, a resident of: Karak district; Sepoy Arsalan Aslam, 26, a resident of Bahawalpur district – all of Pakistan Army; and Lance Naik Sabz Ali, 34, a resident of Lakki Marwat district and a member of the Frontier Constabulary.

In the ensuing operation, the troops engaged the terrorists killing all ten of them. The timely and effective response by the security forces prevented a major catastrophe and saved precious lives. The gallant action by the security personnel is a testament totheir unrelenting resolve in the fight against terrorism.

The terrorist attack was undertaken by the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, which has safe havens in Afghanistan and has previously mounted many attacks inside Pakistan. Pakistan has consistently raised its concerns with regard to these attacks and the impunity the group enjoys in Afghanistan with the Afghan interim government. Kabul has been asked to deny the group the use of Afghan soil and take effective action against such elements. After the recent attack, the Foreign Office issued a statement saying, “The Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Afghanistan in Islamabad was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today to deliver Pakistan’s strong demarche over the deadly terrorist attack on the Bannu cantonment on July 15, which resulted in the martyrdom of eight security personnel and injured several others.”

The Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of civilians and law enforcement officials in terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

The Khorasan Diary In the ensuing operation, the troops engaged the terrorists, killing all 10 of them. The timely and effective response by the security forces prevented a major catastrophe.

The Interim Afghan Government was once again urged to investigate and take immediate, robust and effective action against the perpetrators of the Bannu attack and to prevent the recurrence of such attacks against Pakistan using the Afghan territory. Pakistan reiterated its serious concern over the presence of terror outfits in Afghanistan that continue to threaten Pakistan’s security. Such incidents go against the spirit of bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries.

The Bannu cantonment attack is yet another reminder of the serious threat posed by terrorism to regional peace and security. Pakistan has reiterated its call for decisive action against terrorism and remains steadfast in its commitment to combat this menace and to uphold its security against all threats.

There have been reports in Afghan media that the Afghan Taliban are relocating some of the TTP fighters from the regions bordering Pakistan to Ghazni province.

Separately, the RuralHealth Centre in the hometown of Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur was attacked. The ISPR statement on this attack said,

“On the night of July 15-16, some terrorists carried out a cowardly attack on the Rural Health Centre), Kirri Shamozai, in the Dera Ismail Khan district. The assailants opened indiscriminate fire on the RHC staff and the patients.

Resultantly, five civilians including two lady health workers, two children and a watchman were martyred.

“Security Forces in the vicinity were mobilized immediately for a clearance operation at the RHC. In the ensuing exchange of fire, the troops engaged the terrorists. At least three of the terrorists were killed. However, Naib Subedar Muhammad Farooq, 44, a resident of Narowal district and Sepoy Muhammad Javed Iqbal, 23, a resident of Khanewal district, too, embraced martyrdom.

The Bannu attack was quite alarming.

Some of the residents of the area had been complaining on social media about the militants’ presence. Some of the posts said the militant organisations were opening offices in the Bannu region. For quite some time there were reports that the police were helpless against the militants in the region. Some of the fighters from Hafiz Gul Bahadur’s group were reported to have moved from bordering areas in Afghanistan to North Waziristan and Bannu districts. However, the provincial government had taken notice of this. Following the attack, the armed wing of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group claimed responsibility for it. It is noteworthy that the militants fought for almost 24 hours. The attack had started at around midnight. Later, the militants received reinforcements from close to the Bannu cantonment. The mystery is why the police not notice and challenge the militants’ movement.

Another question is: how did these militants reach Bannu from the Pak-Afghan border after the deployment of the police in North Waziristan considering there have been no recent reports of a Taliban presence in North Waziristan? Finally, how did they arrive in such a large number without attracting attention?

Once the Afghan Taliban took Kabul, there were apprehension that some of the TTP elements could move into Pakistan. However, a counter-terrorism strategy was not devised immediately. Instead, the previous government voiced support for these elements and some of them were welcomed back in Pakistan. Since then, the range of their operations has been expanding.

The writer is a Peshawar-based journalist, researcher and trainer. He also works for the digital media platform