Pakistan: 10 border police personnel killed in militant attack

At least 10 Pakistani border police officers were killed in an attack on an outpost on the border with Afghanistan. It happened on Thursday evening near the town of Dera Ismail Khan in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, DW reports. The Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack.

They claimed that it had been revenge for the killing of a high-ranking leader of the movement, Ustad Qureshi. According to the Pakistani military, Qureshi was among nine militants killed in a military operation in the Bajaur Agency. The killing of the Pakistani border guards comes amid renewed militant attacks since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Moreover, the Pakistani cell of the movement mostly attacks the country's Security Forces. It is noted that the TTP had historical roots in Afghanistan and shared the same ideology as the Afghan Taliban.

Photo credits: Taliban fighters in Afghanistan

Islamabad claims that the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan militants are using Afghanistan as their base. In September, Pakistan's permanent representative to the United Nations warned the Security Council that the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan could soon become a "conduit for global terrorist objectives" by joining forces with groups such as al-Qaeda.

Last year, the Afghan Taliban used the manpower and armored vehicles to attack an Iranian border post.

The clash occurred after President of Iran Ibrahim Raisi warned the Taliban in May 2023 not to violate Iran's water rights in the Helmand River.