On Tuesday (December 12), rebels belonging to a Pakistani Taliban offshoot Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan slammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a Pakistani security forces post in the restive Khyber-Paktunkhwa province’s Dera Ismail Khan district, killing at least 23 Pakistani soldiers. The attack left around 32 Pakistani troops injured.
The army’s media department, Inter-Services Public Relations, stated that the rebels rammed the explosive-laden truck after their attempts to get entry were thwarted in the Dera Ismail Khan district neighbouring the South Waziristan tribal district. ISPR added that all six of the attackers were killed.
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— Durand Line Media (@DurandLineMedia) December 9, 2023
Full 20 minute video of rebels in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province attacking Pakistani 🇵🇰🇵🇰 security forces. pic.twitter.com/1yPvMata2z
Some rebels also opened fire, triggering an hour-long gunfight between them and security personnel before three attackers were shot down, according to local police officer Kamal Khan.
🚨 🇵🇰 Unseen footage from #Daraban attack complex aftermath
— OsintTV 📺 (@OsintTV) December 12, 2023
According to sources, the Mujahideen onslaught entirely destroyed the Daraban camp.
The number of deaths could rise even further.
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The incident was followed by another suicide strike, which caused the structure to collapse, resulting in several casualties.
Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, or TJP, a newly formed militant group thought to be an offshoot of the TTP, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, claiming it attacked officials at the police station.
Mullah Qasim, a TJP spokesperson, called the attack a “suicide mission” or Fidayeen. A state of emergency was declared at district hospitals, and all educational institutions were closed after the incident. The rebel outfit has earlier also claimed responsibility for several major attacks in Pakistan.
One day prior, three separate attacks in Pakistan had resulted in the death of 17 soldiers in the Darazinda area of Dera Ismail Khan. All of the rebels were killed in the army operation. According to the ISPR, two soldiers were killed and four attackers were killed in another Intelligence Based Operation (IBO) in the Kulachi area.
This year has seen an increase in violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with many deadly invasions. In January, a suicide bomber masquerading as a police officer attacked a mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing at least 101 people, mostly police officers.
Since 2022, the Pakistani Taliban has increased attacks on security troops. Authorities claim that since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, the rebels have grown stronger.
