Pakistan summoned a senior Afghan diplomat on Monday (May 11, 2026) to lodge a formal protest over a suicide attack in the country’s northwest, bordering Afghanistan, that killed 15 police officers.

Islamabad has blamed the late Saturday (May 9, 2026) attack on the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Pakistani authorities have long accused the Taliban government of sheltering the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a separate group but closely allied to the Afghan Taliban. Kabul denies the charge, saying it doesn’t allow militants to use Afghan soil to attack other countries.

The complaint was handed to the Afghan charge d’affaires, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that “a detailed investigation into the incident, along with evidence collected and technical intelligence” indicated that the attack was “masterminded by terrorists residing in Afghanistan.”

Kabul was also informed that Islamabad “reserves the right to respond decisively against the perpetrators of this barbaric act,” the statement added.

“There was no immediate comment from Kabul,” the statement said.

The attack in Bannu, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, erupted after a suicide bomber, backed by several gunmen, detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near the security post, triggering a shootout.

“Some officers were killed in the exchange of fire, while others died after part of the building collapsed,” according to local police. “Four were wounded,” the police added.

A newly formed splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban, Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack. Islamabad has accused the group of being a front for the Pakistani Taliban.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant violence in recent years, much of it blamed on the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have persisted, with engaging in fighting that has killed hundreds of people since late February.

In early April, Afghan Taliban and Pakistani officials held peace talks mediated by China. However, sporadic cross-border clashes have continued, though at a lower intensity than before.

At least 15 Pakistani soldiers and 92 militants were killed in multiple counter-terrorism operations carried out by security forces in restive Balochistan province, the Army said on Sunday (February 1, 2026).

The operations were launched after militants belonging to ethnic Baloch groups carried out attacks at several locations on Saturday (January 31, 2026), it said in a statement.

Also read: Several terrorists killed across three provinces of Pakistan

The Army said the militants attempted to disturb peace by carrying out terrorist activities in and around Quetta, Mastung, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan, Panjgur, Tump, Gwadar and Pasni.

Security forces and law enforcement agencies, remaining on high alert, responded swiftly and successfully foiled the militants’ attempts to disrupt peace, the statement said.

“Our valiant troops engaged the terrorists with precision and after prolonged, intense and daring clearance operations across Balochistan, killed 92 terrorists, including three suicide bombers,” it added.

The militants also targeted civilians, killing 18 people, including women, children, the elderly and labourers, the Army said.

During the clearance operations and ensuing gun battles, 15 soldiers lost their lives, it said.

Sanitisation operations are continuing in the affected areas and the instigators, perpetrators, facilitators and abettors of these heinous and cowardly acts will be brought to justice, the statement said.

On Saturday (January 31, 2026), 41 militants belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed in separate security operations in Panjgur and Harnai districts.

“With these successful operations over the last two days, the total number of terrorists killed in the ongoing campaign in Balochistan has reached 133,” the Army said.

It added that the counter-terrorism campaign approved by the Federal Apex Committee under the National Action Plan would continue at full pace to eliminate militancy from the country.

The Federal Apex Committee is the top-level body tasked with tackling militancy, while the National Action Plan is Pakistan’s comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism.

Violence has surged in Balochistan in recent years, with the number of fatalities in the province rising from 787 to 956 last year, an increase of nearly 22% over the previous year, the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) said in early January.

According to the Islamabad-based think tank Pak Institute for Peace Studies, terror attacks and violence across Pakistan rose by 34% in 2025, with 699 terrorist incidents recorded nationwide during the year.