TTP Claims Responsibility for Suicide Attack in Islamabad

Darwin, 12 November –

The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for a suicide attack outside a court building in Islamabad that left at least 12 people dead. Pakistan’s brief border clashes with Afghanistan in October were reportedly triggered by efforts to suppress the TTP.

The news was reported by the British newspaper The Guardian on Wednesday.

According to the report, after the TTP claimed responsibility, Pakistan’s defense minister stated that the recent wave of terrorist attacks has put the country “in a state of war.”

The explosion occurred around 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday outside the district court building in the capital, an area that is usually crowded with lawyers and litigants.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that 12 people were killed and 27 injured in the attack. He added, “The suicide bomber tried to enter the court premises but failed and instead targeted a police vehicle.”

In a statement, the TTP said, “Judges, lawyers, and officials who issue rulings under Pakistan’s anti-Islamic laws were targeted.” The group also warned that its attacks would continue until Sharia law is fully implemented in the country.

The report further noted that TTP attacks have surged dramatically in recent months, creating Pakistan’s worst security crisis in a decade. The group has carried out more than 600 attacks this year alone, mostly in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region near the Afghan border, killing hundreds of people. However, Tuesday’s suicide bombing was the largest attack in Islamabad in recent years.

The Pakistani government has accused the Afghan Taliban of providing safe havens and weapons to TTP militants—an allegation the Kabul government has denied.

These accusations led to deadly clashes along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border last month, killing many people. A fragile ceasefire is currently in place, but there has been no lasting agreement on cross-border terrorism.

Video footage from Tuesday’s attack showed the targeted vehicle completely burned. Eyewitnesses reported a loud explosion followed by chaos as people fled in panic.

Lawyer Rustam Malik said, “The whole area was in chaos. I saw two dead bodies at the court gate, and several cars were on fire.”

Meanwhile, Pakistan is also facing severe violence in its Balochistan province, where Baloch separatists have long waged an armed insurgency demanding independence. The region, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, has seen several major attacks in recent years, including the hijacking of a passenger train earlier this year.

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif described Tuesday’s bombing as a “wake-up call,” saying, “We are in a state of war. Those who think this war is limited to the border areas should take today’s Islamabad court attack as a warning.”

He further added, “In this situation, expecting peace talks with Kabul’s rulers to be productive is meaningless.”