Deadly Islamabad bombing sharpens focus on cross-border attacks in Pakistan

The strikes come a day after a suicide attack on a security compound in Pakistan’s Peshawar city Pakistan strikes on neighbouring Afghanistan have killed 10 people – among them nine children – a Taliban government spokesperson has said, a day after a suicide attack on a security compound in Pakistan’s Peshawar city. “The Pakistani invading forces bombed the house of a local civilian resident ... As a result, nine children (five boys and four girls) and one woman were martyred” in Khost province, Zabihullah Mujahid said on X. Continue reading...

The strikes come a day after a suicide attack on a security compound in Pakistan’s Peshawar city Pakistan strikes on neighbouring Afghanistan have killed 10 people – among them nine children – a Taliban government spokesperson has said, a day after a suicide attack on a security compound in Pakistan’s Peshawar city. “The Pakistani invading forces bombed the house of a local civilian resident ... As a result, nine children (five boys and four girls) and one woman were martyred” in Khost province, Zabihullah Mujahid said on X. Continue reading...

Analysts warn mosque attack in Pakistan could inflame sectarian fault lines in an already volatile security landscape.

Relatives and volunteers transport a victim of bomb explosion in a Shiite mosque, from at a hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/M.A Sheikh) 2026-02-07T08:28:07Z ISLAMABAD (AP) — An affiliate of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility overnight for a deadly suicide bombing inside a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of Pakistan’s capital that killed 31 people and wounded 169 others, as mourners gathered Saturday under tight security at the same mosque for funerals for the victims. The regional Islamic State affiliate , known as Islamic State in Pakistan, claimed responsibility in a statement posted on its Amaq News Agency. It said the attacker arrived opened fire on security guards who tried to stop him at the main gate and detonated his explosive vest after reaching the mosque’s inner gate. The Islamic State group suggested it viewed the Pakistani Shiites as legitimate targets, calling them a “human reservoir” that provided recruits to Shiite militias fighting the Islamic State in Syria. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); Friday’s mosque bombing was the deadliest in Islamabad since a 2008 suicide bombing at the Marriott Hotel that killed 63 people and wounded more than 250. In November, a suicide bomber struck outside a court in the capital, killing 12 people. The latest attack comes as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government has had to deal with a surge in militant attacks across Pakistan. According to Pakistani authorities, the attacker was a Pakistani national who had recently traveled to Afghanistan. Authorities said several suspects, including the brother, mother and other relatives of the bomber, were arrested during overnight raids in Islamabad and in northwestern Pakistan, and that a police officer was killed in the operation. More than 2,000 grief-stricken mourners gathered as coffins of those killed were brought to the mosque for funerals. Senior government officials and leaders of the Shiite community were among those who attended the funerals for about a dozen victims. Funerals of other victims were to be held in their home towns. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); IS is a Sunni group that has targeted Pakistan’s Shiite minority in the past, apparently seeking to stoke sectarian divisions in the majority Sunni country. In 2022 it claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that struck a Shiite Muslim mosque in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar, killing at least 56 and wounding 194. Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif told reporters Friday that the attack signaled that Pakistan-based militants operating from Afghanistan could strike even in the capital. His remarks drew a sharp response from Afghanistan’s Taliban government. In a statement, Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry condemned the mosque attack in Islamabad but said the Pakistani defense minister had “irresponsibly” linked it to Afghanistan. Pakistan has frequently accused Afghanistan, where the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, of harboring militants, including members of the Pakistani Taliban. Kabul denies the accusations. The attack also drew condemnation from the international community, including the United States, Russia and the European Union. Prime Minister Sharif said he was grateful for the messages of sympathy and support received “from across the globe” following what he called a “heart-wrenching suicide attack in Islamabad.” He said international support remained critical to Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts and vowed the perpetrators would be brought to justice. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); Although Pakistan’s capital has seen relatively few attacks compared with other regions, the country has experienced a recent rise in militant violence. Much of it has been blamed on Baloch separatist groups and the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan , or TTP, which is a separate group but allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban. ___ Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo, Riaz Khan and Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakistan and Ishtiaq Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan, contributed to this story.

At least 31 people have been killed after a suicide bomber detonated a device at a Shia mosque, according to police.

A suicide bombing during Friday prayers at a Shia mosque in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad has killed dozens of people.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear, however reports have suggested it was carried out by a suicide bomber.

Rescue teams reach the site after blast at Shia mosque in Pakistani capital's Tarlai Kalan area during Friday prayers.

Military says operations that began in January degraded leadership and operational capabilities of 'terrorist' networks.

Hundreds have been killed in the southwestern Balochistan province amid surge in rebel attacks.

It says 15 security personnel and 18 civilians were also killed after militants attacked many cities in Pakistan's province.

Pakistani army soldiers and other security officials examine a site following militants attack with guns and grenades, in Quetta, Pakistan, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt) 2026-01-31T09:24:59Z QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Separatists from Pakistan’s Balochistan province claimed responsibility for nearly a dozen coordinated attacks across southern Pakistan early Saturday that targeted civilians, a high-security prison, police stations and paramilitary installations. Eleven civilians, 10 security personnel and 67 insurgents were killed, authorities said. Though Baloch separatists and the Pakistani Taliban frequently target security forces in Balochistan and elsewhere in the country, coordinated attacks on this scale are rare. Authorities said at least 108 militants have been killed across Balochistan over the past 48 hours, including 67 on Saturday. The dead included 11 civilians, among them three women and three children, in the city of Gwadar in Balochistan, police official Ibad Khan said. He said the dead civilians were ethnic Baloch. Khan said police quickly responded to the attack and killed all the attackers. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said in a statement that 10 security officers were killed. The Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, claimed responsibility the attacks, during which some of the banks were also robbed. It released videos showing female fighters taking part in the attacks, apparently part of a propaganda to highlight the role of women among the militants. Shahid Rind, a spokesman for the Balochistan government, said most of the attacks were foiled. They came a day after the military said security forces this week raided two militant hideouts in the country’s southwest, killing 41 insurgents in separate gunbattles . The provincial chief minister, Sarfraz Bugti, wrote on X that security forces were chasing the insurgents. He said at least 700 insurgents were killed by security forces in the past year. According to Balochistan police and government officials, at least 37 assailants were killed initially and 30 more were traced and shot dead. Earlier Saturday, authorities said that insurgents destroyed rail tracks , prompting Pakistan Railways to suspend train services from Balochistan to other parts of the country. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); Militants launched a series of attacks Saturday The attacks began almost simultaneously across the province, provincial Health Minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar said. He said two police officers were killed in a grenade attack on a police vehicle in Quetta, the provincial capital. The government declared an emergency at all hospitals. Dozens of insurgents also attacked a prison in Mastung district, freeing more than 30 inmates, police said. In other attacks, militants attempted to storm the provincial headquarters of paramilitary forces in Nushki district, but the attack was repelled, police said. Insurgents hurled grenades at the office of a government administrator in Dalbandin district, but a swift response by security forces forced them to flee, according to local authorities. Attacks on security posts in Balincha, Tump and Kharan districts were thwarted, while in Pasni and Gwadar, insurgents attempted to abduct passengers traveling on buses along highways, police said. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); The BLA is banned in Pakistan and designated a terrorist organization by the United States. It has been behind numerous attacks in recent years, and Pakistan says the group enjoys the backing from India, a charge New Delhi denies. Pakistan has repeatedly said that Baloch separatists, the Pakistani Taliban and other militants are using Afghan soil to launch attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul denies the claim. Baloch separatist groups and the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, have intensified attacks in Pakistan in recent months. The TTP is a separate group but allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban, who returned to power in August 2021. Balochistan has long been the site of an insurgency by separatist groups seeking independence from Pakistan’s central government in Islamabad. ____ Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writers Babar Dogar in Lahore, Pakistan, and Ishtiaq Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan, contributed to this report.

Pakistan has been battling a separatist movement in Balochistan for decades.

Military claims without providing evidence that the slain fighters were linked to India.

Attack comes as Pakistani military readies for its fight against armed groups in areas along border with Afghanistan.

Volunteers transport an injured victim of suicide bombing at a wedding, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, at a hospital in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan. (AP Photo/Kashif Naveed) 2026-01-23T18:23:50Z DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest among guests at a wedding ceremony in northwestern Pakistan on Friday, killing at least seven people and wounding 25, police said. The attack took place at the home of Noor Alam Mehsud, a pro-government community leader in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said local police chief Adnan Khan. He said officers transported the victims to a hospital, where some of the wounded were listed in critical condition. The ceremony was underway, with guests dancing to the beat of drums, when the bomber struck. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, who have carried out numerous attacks in the country in recent years. The group is separate from but allied with the Afghan Taliban. TTP has been emboldened since the Afghan Taliban retuned to power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021 when U.S. and NATO troops left the country after 20 years of war. Many TTP leaders and fighters have found sanctuaries in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover there.

Group links attack to China’s 'crimes' against Uighurs. Beijing urges Taliban government to protect its nationals.

This is a breaking news story.

More than 50 people remain missing, with a police investigation under way to determine the cause of the fire.

Pakistani leaders offer condolences as firefighters battle a major blaze in Karachi.

The incident is the third of its kind in recent weeks in which Tajik border guards and civilians have been killed.

It comes as tension simmers along the border, threatening shaky truce between Islamabad and Kabul.

Relations have soured between former allies Afghanistan and Pakistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

Blast comes a day after an attack claimed by the Pakistan Taliban, amid surging tensions with Kabul over the group.

Fears of violence worsening across Pakistan’s Balochistan are mounting following armed attacks across the mineral-rich province over several days, as insurgents continue to exploit grievances on the ground and Islamabad’s security forces struggle to deal with the threat. Pakistan has ruled out talks with insurgents who seized control of security installations and administrative centres in more than a dozen urban centres in Balochistan during a lightning coordinated operation on Saturday. A total...

Pakistan forces were hunting on Sunday for the separatists behind a string of coordinated attacks in restive Balochistan province, with the government vowing to retaliate after more than 120 people were killed. Around a dozen sites where the attacks took place – including the provincial capital Quetta – remained sealed off, with troops combing the area a day after militants stormed banks, jails and military installations, killing at least 18 civilians and 15 security personnel, according to the...

Separatists from Pakistan’s Balochistan province claimed responsibility for nearly a dozen coordinated attacks across southern Pakistan early on Saturday that targeted civilians, a high-security prison, police stations and paramilitary installations. Eleven civilians, 10 security personnel and 67 insurgents were killed, authorities said. Though Baloch separatists and the Pakistani Taliban frequently target security forces in Balochistan and elsewhere in the country, coordinated attacks on this...

China has condemned Monday’s suicide attack on a Chinese restaurant in Kabul, urging the Taliban to take further measures to protect the safety of its citizens in Afghanistan. Foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Beijing had made “urgent representations” following the attack in a heavily guarded part of the capital that killed at least seven people – one Chinese national and six Afghans – and injured several others. Guo added that China had asked the authorities to “further adopt effective...

The Islamic State claimed responsibility on Monday for a suicide blast at a Chinese restaurant in Afghanistan that killed more than half a dozen people. Abdul Mateen Qani, a spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry, told The New York Times the attack was carried out by one person linked to ISIS-Khorasan, commonly known as ISIS-K, one of the terrorist group’s most lethal branches. ISIS-K has claimed it targets Chinese citizens as retaliation for Beijing's treatment of Uyghurs , a Muslim minority group, and has also denounced the Afghan government's relationship with China, according to the Times. THIRD AFGHAN NATIONAL FROM BIDEN-ERA PROGRAM ARRESTED IN A WEEK BY ICE AGENTS IN VIRGINIA: DHS Kabul police command spokesman Khalid Zadran said on X that seven people were killed in the explosion, including six Afghans and one Chinese national. Several others were injured. Zadran said the blast occurred around 3 p.m. local time at a Chinese noodle restaurant in Kabul's Shahr-e-Naw neighborhood that was jointly run by Abdul Majeed, a Chinese Muslim from Xinjiang province, his wife, and an Afghan named Abdul Jabbar Mahmoud. " The explosion occurred near the kitchen. The nature of the explosion is still unknown, investigations are ongoing," he added. TALIBAN KILLS INTERNET ACROSS AFGHANISTAN, CITING MORALITY CONCERNS AS UN PROTESTS China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday that one Chinese national was killed and five others were wounded in the attack. Jiakun offered condolences to the families and said officials from the Chinese Embassy in Afghanistan have visited the wounded in the hospital. He said China urged the Afghan government to do more to keep Chinese nationals and institutions safe. NATIONAL SECURITY EXPERTS SOUND ALARM OVER CCP-LINKED LAND OWNERSHIP NEAR US MILITARY BASES: ‘UNTHINKABLE’ "China strongly condemns and firmly opposes any form of terrorism , supports Afghanistan and regional countries in jointly fighting all forms of terrorist and violent activities," he said. "Given the current security situation in Afghanistan, the Ministry once again advises Chinese nationals not to travel to Afghanistan in the near future and asks Chinese nationals and companies already in Afghanistan to take extra precautions, step up security and depart high-risk regions as soon as possible."