Peshawar (HRNW)- Pakistani authorities have linked the recent Kohat Police Lines mosque attack to Afghanistan, stating that one of the suicide attackers has been identified as Matiullah, an Afghan national. Officials said efforts are underway to establish the identity of the second attacker.
The claims come after the deadly attack in Kohat, where an explosives-laden vehicle was used in an assault on a mosque inside a police complex, followed by an attack on the compound. Pakistani officials have blamed militants operating from Afghanistan, while the Afghan Taliban has rejected allegations that Afghan territory is being used to plan attacks against Pakistan.
Pakistani authorities also cited recent incidents involving attempted militant infiltrations along the Afghanistan border. They said security forces had intercepted groups attempting to cross into Pakistan in areas including Ghulam Khan, South Waziristan, and Kurram.
The Pakistani government has repeatedly accused the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan of failing to prevent militant groups, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), from operating on Afghan soil. A UN Security Council monitoring report has also identified TTP as an active terrorist organization in Afghanistan and reported concerns about its freedom of movement and support networks there.
China’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Fu Cong, has separately said that groups including ISIL-K, Al-Qaeda, ETIM, and TTP remain active in Afghanistan and pose security risks to Afghanistan and neighboring countries.
Pakistan’s security authorities have maintained that militant groups operating from Afghan territory must be prevented from conducting cross-border attacks. Islamabad has also said it reserves the right to take measures in self-defense if the threat continues.
The Kohat attack has further intensified security and diplomatic concerns along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, while investigations into the identities and networks of those involved in the bombing remain underway.
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