NORTH WAZIRISTAN: Pakistan issued a dem­a­rche to the Taliban regi­me over its failure to rein in terrorist organisations ope­r­ating from Afghan soil, after a deadly attack on a military camp in North Waziristan on Friday.

Four security personnel were martyred when an attempt by terrorists to attack a security camp was foiled in the Boya area, the military’s media wing said.

“In a heinous and cowardly act, the terrorists belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Khwarij [the term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned TTP] attacked security forces camp in Boya,” Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

It added that the terrorists “attempted to breach the perimeter security; how­ever, their nefarious designs were swiftly foiled by the vigilant and resolute response by own troops”.

The terrorists then ram­med an explosives-laden vehicle “on [the] outer perimeter wall, resulting in its collapse and considerable damage to adjacent civilian infrastructure, including a mosque”, the ISPR said.

It stated that the car bomb attack cause damage to nearby homes and other structures and inflicted “severe injuries to 15 local civilians, including innocent children and women”.

In an earlier report, police and hospital sources reported that 11 civilians were injured as a result of the blast, and they were taken to the district headquarters hospital in Miranshah.

“However, during the intense fire exchanges, four brave sons of soil — Havildar Muhammad Waqas, 42, a resident of Kotli district; Naik Khanwaiz, 38, a resident of Mansehra district); Sepoy Sufyan Haider, 25, a resident of Vehari district; and Sepoy Riffat, 32, a resident of Leyyah district — having fought gallantly, paid the ultimate sacrifice and embraced Shahadat,” said the ISPR, giving details of the martyred personnel.

The military further said that the “hideous” act of terrorism was planned and orchestrated by Afghanistan-based terrorists and “is in contrast to assertions made by the Afghan Taliban regime, claiming non-presence of these terrorist groups operating from their soil”. In a subsequent statement, the Foreign Office said that Pakistan condemned the attack in the strongest possible terms and identified the attackers as members of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, a group under the TTP umbrella.

“To convey our strong demarche, the Afghan Deputy Head of Mission was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” the statement read.

“The ministry conveyed Pakistan’s grave concern over the continued support and facilitation provided by the Afghan Taliban regime to the FAK/TTP, enabling them to carry out terrorist attacks against [the] Pakistan Military and the civilian population along the Pak-Afghan border and in adjoining areas,” it added.

“Pakistan has demanded a full investigation and decisive action against the perpetrators and facilitators of the terrorist attacks launched against Pakistan from Afghan soil,” the statement said.

The FO warned the Afghan Taliban that Pakistan “reserves the right to defend its sovereignty and protect its citizens, and will take all necessary measures to respond to terrorism originating from Afghan soil”.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2025