ecurity forces continue to battle militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. On June 28, 13 security personnel were martyred in the Khadi Khel area of Mir Ali tehsil in North Waziristan when an explosive-laden vehicle targeted a bomb disposal unit in a suicide attack.

Besides the 13 soldiers who lay down their lives, 10 people were injured. A rescue operation was launched immediately. The injured and the bodies were taken to Bannu district. The area where the attack came about was then cordoned off.

In a statement issued later, the Inter-Services Public Relations described the attack as a cowardly act planned and orchestrated by the “terrorist state of India” and executed by its local proxy. The suicide bomber was apparently instructed to ram the vehicle into a convoy. However, a group of vehicles leading the convoy did not allow him to approach it. In desperation, he drove the vehicle into one of the leading group’s vehicles. The attack resulted in the martyrdom of death of 13 soldiers. Besides, three civilians - two children and a woman – were severely injured.

The ISPR later identified the martyrs as Subedar Zahid Iqbal (aged 45) from Karak; Havildar Sohrab Khan (39) from Naseerabad; Havildar Mian Yousaf (41) from Buner; Naik Khitab Shah (34) from Lower Dir; Lance Naik Ismail (32) from Naseerabad; Sepoy Rohail (30) from Mirpur Khas; Sepoy Muhammad Ramazan (33) from Dera Ghazi Khan; Sepoy Nawab (30) from Quetta; Sepoy Zubair Ahmed (24) from Naseerabad; Sepoy Muhammad Sahki (31) from Dera Ghazi Khan; Sepoy Hashim Abbasi (20) from Abbottabad; Sepoy Muddassir Ejaz (25) from Layyah and Sepoy Manzar Ali (23) from Mardan.

The suicide attack was followed by a cleanup operation by the security forces in which 14 militants were killed in an intense exchange of fire. “The operations in the area will continue. The cowardly perpetrators of this heinous crime will be brought to justice,” the ISPR said.

On July 2, five people, including an assistant commissioner, were killed in the Bajaur tribal district. Police said this, too, was a target killing. They said five people, including two policemen, were martyred n an explosion targeting an official vehicle on Nawagai Road in Khar tehsil’s Sadiqabad area. The deceased were identified as Assistant Commissioner Faisal Ismail, Tehsildar Abdul Wakil, Subedar Noor Hakim and Constable Rashid. Another 11 people were injured in the blast.

President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the terrorist attacks.

President Zardari also condemned the attack on the military convoy. In a statement issued by his office, he paid a warm tribute to the 13 martyred soldiers personnel for their sacrifice. “The martyrs ensured the security of their motherland by sacrificing their lives,” the president said. He added that those willingly laying down their lives in the defence of their homeland were “real heroes.” He also said such cowardly attacks could not dampen the morale of the nation. The president also praised the armed forces for killing 14 terrorists in the operation that followed. “[The] Pakistani nation and security forces are determined to root out Indian-sponsored terrorism,” he said. “These operations will continue until terrorism is completely eradicated,” he concluded.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, too, strongly condemned the attack on the military convoy. A statement issued by his office paid tribute to the 13 martyred personnel. Expressing his grief over the injuries suffered by civilians, the PM said, “the Indian-backed terrorists have committed a cowardly act. The entire nation salutes the martyrs. He also said “We are resolute in our commitment to completely eradicate all forms of terrorism from the country.”

Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif, the spokesperson for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government said in a statement he strongly condemned the attack on civilians. He said the loss of lives was regrettable. He warned that “those hostile to the country will not be allowed to succeed in their nefarious purposes. They will be brought to justice.”

The Khadi Khel attack was eventually claimed by a faction of the Hafiz Gul Bahadar group. Huzaifa Ishthihadi Kandak, a spokesperson for the group, also known to recruit and train suicide attackers, also mentioned the attack. This incident was the deadliest attack so far in North Waziristan in recent months. However, the attack is not being seen as an isolated event or a unique phenomenon. Instead, experts see it as a part of a broad surge in militant activities targeting Pakistan’s border regions, particularly in the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including North Waziristan, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, South Waziristan, Tank and Dera Ismail Khan.

Following the suicide attack, security forces launched a clean-up operation. 14 militants were killed in an intense exchange of fire. “The operations will continue. The cowardly perpetrators of this heinous crime will be brought to justice,” the ISPR said.

The fall of Kabul in August 2021 has fundamentally altered the security calculus for Pakistan. The withdrawal of US-led coalition forces and the Taliban’s swift takeover created a power vacuum that emboldened militant groups operating in Afghanistan and along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Pakistan, which shares a 2,600-kilometre porous border with Afghanistan, has long struggled stop cross-border militancy. The events of 2021 have only exacerbated these challenges. The Afghan Taliban’s return to power in Kabul seems to have been interpreted by several militant outfits, including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and the Hafiz Gul Bahadar Group, as an opportunity to re-group, re-arm and launch attacks with renewed vigour.

Historically, the Hafiz Gul Bahadar Group has been considered an Afghan-focus militant organisation primarily engaged in combating US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan. However, since August 2021, the group seems to have its focus to Pakistan. It is understood to have launched a series of deadly attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s southern districts. This strategic pivot has allowed the group to become a formidable threat, potentially surpassing the TTP. The Khaddi attack is a stark illustration of the group’s growing audacity and operational sophistication, particularly its use of suicide bombers trained allegedly by Huzaifa Ishthihadi Kandak.

The Hafiz Gul Bahadar Group has emerged lately as one of the most lethal militant organisations operating in Pakistan’s borderlands. The group has deep roots in North Waziristan and maintains ties with other militant networks, apparently including the Afghan Taliban and Al Qaeda. Before 2021, the group’s activities were largely confined to Afghanistan, where it used to target the coalition forces in support of the Taliban insurgency. The fall of Kabul provided the group with an opportunity to expand its operations into Pakistan. It has since exploited the region’s volatile security environment.

The group’s Usood-ul Harab faction, and its suicide bombing wing, the Huzaifa Ishthihadi Kandak, have been instrumental in organising high-impact attacks. Its ability to recruit and train suicide attackers highlights its organisational strength and ideological commitment to the so-called jihadist violence. The Hafiz Gul Bahadar Group has also been joined by some other militant outfits to form a loose coalition of insurgents. This collaboration has enabled the group to undertake coordinated attacks across several districts, overwhelming local security forces and harassing civilians.

The recent surge in attacks by the Hafiz Gul Bahadar Group is particularly concerning given its operational reach. Unlike the TTP, which had earlier been the primary focus of Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts, the Hafiz Gul Bahadar Group has demonstrated a capacity to strike deep inside Pakistan’s southern districts. It has targeted both military and civilian personnel and installations. The group’s ability to exploit the rugged terrain of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, combined with its access to safe havens in Afghanistan, makes it a formidable adversary.

The rise of the Hafiz Gul Bahadar Group and its intensification of militant activities in Pakistan’s border regions have far-reaching implications for national and regional security. For Pakistan, the immediate challenge is to contain the spread of violence and prevent more attacks. Given its high casualty toll and targeting of a bomb disposal unit, the Khaddi attack underscores the security forces’ vulnerability in asymmetric warfare tactics like suicide bombing. The imposition of a curfew in North Waziristan reflects the government’s resolpve to re-establish control. However, such temporary measures are unlikely to have a lasting impact as they do not address the root causes of militancy.

The Taliban leaders’ approach to regional security issues has also strained Pakistan’s relationship with the interim government in Kabul. While Pakistan initially welcomed the Taliban’s return to power, hoping this would lead to greater stability and cooperation on security issues, that hope has not materialised. The Taliban’s inability or unwillingness to rein in militant groups operating from Afghan soil has fueled cross-border attacks in Pakistan. The Hafiz Gul Bahadar Group’s activities, in particular, highlight the challenges of dealing with non-state actors enjoying relative impunity.

Addressing the threat posed by the Hafiz Gul Bahadar Group and other militant outfits requires a multifaceted approach. First, Pakistan must strengthen its counterterrorism capabilities, focusing on intelligence-sharing, border security and targeted operations against militant strongholds. The porous nature of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border necessitates greater cooperation with Afghan authorities. This is complicated by the Taliban’s ambivalence toward some of the militants’ groups.

Second, Pakistan must address the socio-economic factors that fuel militancy in its border regions. Poverty, lack of education and limited economic opportunities create a fertile ground for extremist groups to recruit and radicalise young people. Investments in infrastructure, education and job creation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s southern districts could help undermine the appeal of militancy.

Finally, the international community needs to support Pakistan’s efforts to combat terrorism. The fall of Kabul has demonstrated the interconnected nature of security challenges in South Asia. Addressing these challenges requires coordinated action. Humanitarian aid, technical assistance and diplomatic pressure on the Taliban to curb cross-border militancy could help mitigate the threat.

The writer is a Peshawar-based journalist, researcher and trainer. He also works for the digital media platform The Khorasan Diary