Insurgents on Wednesday stormed the headquarters of Pakistan’s Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force, in the country’s northwestern region, killing at least four soldiers and injuring three dozen security personnel. The attack was later claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned militant group, also known as the Pakistan Taliban.

The attack took place in the Tank district of the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a known stronghold of Islamist militants. In the attack, four personnel of security forces were killed, Zahid Khan, the head of local police, confirmed. Security forces took hours before regaining control over the base.

Hours later, the TTP spokesperson Muhammad Khurasani claimed the attack.

Significantly, this is the second attack in the last twenty-four hours after a similar attack on Tuesday killed two security force members, including an officer, in South Waziristan, a tribal region along the border with Afghanistan, where the Pakistan Taliban have significant influence.

Attacks on security forces have increased significantly, especially after the Taliban’s victory in neighboring Afghanistan. The Pakistan Taliban (TTP), the militant group operating in Pakistan, mostly northwestern tribal region, is known for having fraternal and ideological ties with the Afghan Taliban.

Since August last year, when the Afghan Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, TTP militants have staged attacks on Pakistan security forces from across the border in Afghanistan where they enjoy sanctuaries. The attacks were stopped for a brief time in December last year when the Pakistan government and the TTP agreed to a brief ceasefire, brokered by the Afghan Taliban.

Significantly the recent attacks came at a time when the government is reportedly engaged in peace talks with the TTP leaders in Afghanistan. Last year peace talks collapsed after the government and the militant group failed to form a consensus over many contentious issues.

Significantly, Sirajjuddin Haqqani, the head of the infamous Haqqani Network, currently the interior minister in the Afghan government, had played a key role in brokering peace talks. 

 (SAM)