A coordinated assault involving a suicide bomber and armed militants on Monday night left 11 Pakistani soldiers and a minor girl dead in Bajaur, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border, military and police officials confirmed on Tuesday.
According to the military, the attack began when security personnel signalled an explosives-laden vehicle to stop at a checkpoint in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban. The vehicle then rammed the compound wall, triggering a partial collapse and killing soldiers stationed inside. Nearby civilian homes also sustained heavy damage, resulting in the death of the child and injuries to seven others, including women and children.
Local police officer Zafar Khan said that shortly after the blast, a group of militants attempted to infiltrate the security post, prompting a shootout in which 12 attackers - referred to by authorities as “khawarij,” a term for Pakistani Taliban operatives -were killed. The search for other militants in the area is ongoing.
Bajaur has remained tense since August 2025, when security forces launched a targeted operation against militants, displacing tens of thousands of residents. Intelligence-driven operations have continued in the region since then.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, though Pakistani authorities suspect the TTP, which frequently targets both security forces and civilians. Relations between Islamabad and Kabul have been strained due to accusations that the TTP operates from Afghan territory, claims denied by both the group and the Afghan Taliban government.
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zadari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, mourning the deaths of security personnel and the civilian victim.
Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed the government’s commitment to combating terrorism and expressed support for the armed forces.
In December 2025, Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir warned Afghanistan’s Taliban government to either sever ties with the TTP or face consequences, amid a rise in cross-border militant attacks.
The statement coincided with the launch of Pakistan’s new joint military command, marked by a guard of honour at the garrison headquarters in Rawalpindi.
