Pakistan: Suicide Attack in Islamabad Planned by TTP Leaders in Afghanistan

DID Press: Pakistan’s Information Minister says new evidence indicates that the suicide attacker and the planners of the Islamabad attack entered from Afghanistan and were trained there.

The Pakistani government again pointed the finger at the Afghan Taliban and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), stating that the recent suicide attack in Islamabad was the result of “direct cooperation” between the two groups.

At a press conference, Pakistan’s Information Minister, Fawad Ataullah Tarar, said the attacker was Afghan and had entered Pakistan from Afghanistan to carry out the operation.

He added that Pakistan’s security forces had arrested four suspects within 48 hours of the incident. One of the detainees reportedly confessed that the attackers were trained in Afghanistan before being sent to Pakistan to execute the attack.

Tarar emphasized that “all planning for the attack took place inside Afghanistan,” and that the main mastermind of the operation was Noor Wali Mehsud, leader of the TTP. Coordination was reportedly handled by a commander named “Daddaullah” in Afghanistan, in cooperation with “Sajidullah” inside Pakistan.

The suicide attack occurred Tuesday morning near the judicial complex in Islamabad’s G-11 sector, killing at least 12 people and injuring 27. The explosion also set several vehicles on fire and complicated rescue operations.

Tarar added that the attackers had planned a larger operation, but the presence of security forces prevented the suicide bomber from reaching the intended target.

Following the attack, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accused the Afghan Taliban and even India of involvement in the incident.

So far, the Afghan Taliban have not responded to these allegations and have previously described similar accusations from Islamabad as “Pakistan’s internal matter.”