Suicide Attack on Pakistan Army Base Kills 23 Soldiers

Defense News - A Pakistan military base near the Afghan border faced a devastating attack on Tuesday, resulting in the death of at least 23 soldiers. The assault, orchestrated by militants affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban, involved a suicide squad of six fighters who targeted an outpost in the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The military media wing reported that the attackers attempted to breach the outpost, but the soldiers successfully thwarted the entry. Faced with resistance, the militants resorted to ramming an explosive-laden vehicle into the post, followed by a suicide bombing. The resulting explosions caused the collapse of the building, leading to multiple casualties. All six attackers were eliminated as the soldiers fought back.

According to an anonymous local official, many soldiers lost their lives while they were sleeping in the base, which was a government school taken over by the army adjacent to a police station. Additionally, 36 people were wounded in the attack.

Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, a newly emerged group affiliated with the Pakistan Taliban, claimed responsibility for the assault. They stated that the attack began with a "martyrdom attack" around 2:30 am, followed by the storming of the compound by other fighters.

The military media wing reported heightened activities in Dera Ismail Khan overnight, with a total of 27 militants killed in firefights with troops in the volatile region.

Militant attacks in Pakistan, particularly in border areas with Afghanistan, have surged dramatically since the Taliban return to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Analysts attribute this increase to the emboldenment of Islamist fighters following the withdrawal of US forces.

The first half of 2023 saw an alarming 80 percent spike in attacks compared to the previous year, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies. Islamabad accuses hostile groups of operating from sanctuaries across the border, a claim routinely denied by the Taliban government.

The domestic chapter of the Taliban, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), poses a significant threat to Pakistan. In January, the TTP was linked to a mosque bombing in Peshawar that claimed the lives of more than 80 police officers. Moreover, in September, four troops were killed during a cross-border raid by hundreds of TTP fighters in the Chitral area, popular among domestic tourists.