On Thursday evening, near the town of Dera Ismail Khan in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, an attack resulted in the deaths of at least 10 Pakistani border police officers. The attack targeted an outpost on the border with Afghanistan. The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the incident. They stated it was retribution for the killing of one of their high-ranking leaders, Ustad Qureshi, who was among nine militants killed in a military operation in the Bajaur Agency. This information was reported by DW.

The attack is part of a larger pattern of renewed militant actions against Pakistan’s Security Forces, linked to the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in 2021. The TTP shares historical roots and ideological similarities with the Afghan Taliban. Islamabad has expressed concerns that the TTP is using Afghanistan as a base for its operations. In a related development, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations warned the Security Council that the TTP could become a “conduit for global terrorist objectives” in alliance with groups like al-Qaeda. The developments highlight ongoing regional tensions and security challenges. Photo credits provided show Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

ملخص الأخبار

• شهد العام الماضي اشتباكاً بين طالبان الأفغانية وإيران، باستخدام مركبات مدرعة وقوات بشرية.
• الاشتباك مع إيران جاء بعد تحذير الرئيس الإيراني من انتهاك حقوق المياه في نهر هلمند.