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Pakistan-Afghanistan Border Violence

Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan attacks inside Pakistan, cross-border military strikes, and deteriorating security in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Suicide bomber kills 2 Pakistani soldiers in northwest attack

2026-02-21

A suicide bomber struck a security convoy in northwest Pakistan on Saturday, killing two soldiers including a lieutenant colonel, the Pakistani military said. The attack occurred in Bannu, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan, where security forces have battled militants for years. The military said Pakistan would not "exercise any restraint" in operations against those responsible, language that appeared to signal rising tensions between Islamabad and Kabul.

Afghanistan says it released three Pakistani soldiers captured in October

2026-02-18

Afghanistan has released three Pakistani soldiers it captured during cross-border fighting last October, the Afghan government’s spokesman said. Zabihullah Mujahid said the soldiers, captured on Oct. 12, were turned over to a Saudi delegation that mediated between the two sides and traveled to Kabul on Monday. The announcement came as Afghanistan cited the start of Ramadan for the decision.

Motorcycle bomb hits police station in Bannu, then suicide blast in Bajaur

2026-02-17

Motorcycle-bomb attackers struck a police station in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing at least two people including a child and wounding several others, police said Monday. Later, a suicide bomber driving an explosives-laden vehicle attacked a security checkpoint in Bajaur district, where troops returned fire and police said they killed at least eight fighters. Pakistani officials said a girl was killed when a nearby house roof collapsed and rescuers were working to clear rubble at the checkpoint.

Pakistan president warns Taliban threat rivals pre-9/11 conditions

2026-02-10

Islamabad said President Asif Ali Zardari warned that Afghanistan’s Taliban government has created conditions “similar to or worse than” before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, after a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad killed 31 worshippers.

Pakistan arrests 4 suspects after deadly Shiite mosque bombing in Islamabad

2026-02-08

Pakistani security forces raided multiple locations and arrested four suspects, including an alleged mastermind, after a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of Islamabad killed 31 people, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said Saturday. The minister said the bombing was planned and the attacker trained in Afghanistan, and he alleged financial backing from India, without providing evidence. A statement by a regional Islamic State affiliate said the attacker opened fire on security guards before detonating his explosive vest after entering the mosque.

Pakistani security forces kill 22 militants in overnight raids in Balochistan

2026-02-03

Pakistani security forces in Balochistan carried out multiple raids overnight that killed about two dozen militants, raising the insurgents’ death toll to 177 in the previous 48 hours, officials said Feb. 2. The announcement came after coordinated militant attacks over the weekend that killed 50 people, mostly civilians, including women and children.

Pakistan says 145 “Indian-backed” militants killed in Balochistan after attacks

2026-02-02

Pakistan’s government says police and military killed 145 militants in counterterrorism operations in Balochistan over the past two days, after coordinated suicide and gun attacks that killed 33 people, mostly civilians. The government said the raids began early Saturday at multiple locations across the restive province, and that the dead included civilians as well as security personnel, with some bodies in custody described as Afghan nationals.

Nigerian army says it killed Boko Haram commander Abu Khalid in raid

2026-02-02

The Nigerian army said it killed a top Boko Haram commander, Abu Khalid, and 10 militants in a night raid in the northeast state of Borno, according to a statement by the army’s spokesman Sunday. The raid followed Boko Haram attacks earlier in the week that killed dozens of people at a construction site and on a military base, the army said.

Suicide bomber kills at least 7 at wedding in northwestern Pakistan

2026-01-24

A suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest among wedding guests in northwestern Pakistan on Friday, killing at least seven people and wounding 25, police said. The attack occurred at the home of Noor Alam Mehsud, a pro-government community leader in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to local police chief Adnan Khan.

Pakistani security forces thwart hostage-taking, kill 12 militants in Balochistan

2026-01-17

Pakistani security forces thwarted an attempted hostage-taking after assailants attacked a police station in Kharan district in Balochistan on Friday, the military said. The attack began a day earlier, when the attackers targeted two banks, looted millions of rupees and then tried to seize hostages at the police station. Security forces killed at least 12 militants in the subsequent gunfight, the military said.