Pakistan nabs four TTP militants linked to Afghan cell in connection with suicide bombing in Islamabad court
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Pakistan nabs four TTP militants linked to Afghan cell in connection with suicide bombing in Islamabad court")
Policemen examine damaged vehicles after a suicide blast outside the district court in Islamabad Photograph: (AFP)
Pakistan arrested four TTP-linked militants over the Islamabad court bombing that killed 12. Pakistan says they were receiving instructions from handlers based in Afghanistan.
The Pakistan government on Friday said that authorities have arrested four militants linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan for their involvement in a suicide attack outside a court campus in Islamabad. According to Pakistani authorities, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the Tuesday (11 Nov) attack outside a district court, which killed 12 people and wounded dozens.
“The network was handled and guided at every step by the … high command based in Afghanistan,” a Pakistani government statement said on Friday, adding that the cell’s alleged commander and three other members were in custody.
“Investigations are continuing, and more revelations and arrests are expected,” it said, identifying the bomber as Usman alias Qari, a resident of Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan. The government did not detail where the arrests were made. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told the Senate on Thursday that the bomber was Afghan. On Monday, Naqvi alleged that Afghan nationals were involved in this week’s attack on Cadet College Wana, a military-affiliated institution in northwest Pakistan.
Tensions between Pakistan and its Western neighbour, Afghanistan, escalated in recent months, prompted by frequent border clashes, security concerns, and disagreement over interference in each other's domestic affairs.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of harbouring the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Afghan soil, which launches attacks inside Pakistan.
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Taliban government, however, denies any involvement and argues that it's not its responsibility to look after Pakistan's internal security issues.
The dispute over the Durand Line results in periodic skirmishes between the two countries. Mass deportations of Afghan nationals, who were living in Pakistan for decades, also further strained relations.
The Istanbul peace talks, after deadly border clashes in October, have ended without any agreement, with the sides trading blame for the breakdown in negotiations to restore tranquillity at the Durand line and uphold the fragile ceasefire.
