RASC News Agency: Pakistan’s military has announced that one of the suspects arrested following a deadly assault on a Pakistan Rangers installation in Karachi is an Afghanistani national. The attack, which left three Pakistani security personnel dead, has been attributed by Pakistani authorities to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its affiliated faction, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar.
According to the Pakistani military, the assault began when the attackers detonated explosives at the entrance of the Rangers compound before attempting to storm the facility. Security forces responded with a counter-operation that resulted in the deaths of three alleged militants, while a fourth suspect, who was wounded during the exchange of fire, was captured alive.
The military stated that the detained individual is an Afghanistani citizen. Pakistani officials have not disclosed his identity or provided additional details regarding how his nationality was established. As of the time of publication, the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan had not issued any public response to the allegation.
In its official statement, the Pakistani military described the attackers as “terrorists” and “Khawarij,” a term increasingly used by Islamabad to refer to militant groups operating against the Pakistani state. The military also pledged to conduct retaliatory operations against those responsible for the attack, as well as against the broader networks accused of facilitating such assaults.
The incident comes amid escalating tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan. Islamabad has repeatedly accused militant organizations, particularly the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), of using Afghanistan’s territory under Taliban control as a safe haven from which to plan, organize, and launch cross-border attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban has consistently rejected these allegations, insisting that it does not permit Afghanistan’s territory to be used for attacks against neighboring countries.
Nevertheless, multiple reports issued by the United Nations and international security monitoring organizations have concluded that several terrorist groups, including the TTP and other militant networks, continue to maintain a presence inside Afghanistan under Taliban rule. According to these assessments, such groups have retained the ability to recruit fighters, operate training and logistical networks, and facilitate the movement of personnel across the region, raising persistent concerns about the security implications for Afghanistan’s neighbors.
The latest attack in Karachi is expected to further intensify already strained relations between Islamabad and the Taliban authorities, as Pakistan continues to press its longstanding demand for decisive action against militant groups it says are operating from Afghanistan’s territory.
