Pakistan’s Defense Minister Accuses Taliban of Celebrating with Blood of Pakistani Soldiers

Kokcha News Agency: Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has strongly condemned the Taliban, accusing them of “celebrating with the blood of our children” after a suicide attack on a security forces base near the Afghan border. In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday, Asif stated that “terrorist Taliban and some Afghans are coming from Afghan soil, shedding our children’s blood in a brutal manner and celebrating with blood.”

Asif revealed that out of the five terrorists involved in the attack on the military base in Bannu, three were identified as Afghans. He lamented, “We fought for those who are now standing against us.”

The Defense Minister highlighted that Pakistan has fought two long wars for Afghanistan, sacrificed its own security and economy, and lost hundreds of lives. He also noted that Pakistan currently hosts over 6 million Afghan refugees, some of whom have become successful traders and contractors.

Asif mourned the loss of Major Adnan, a brave soldier of the Pakistan Army who was trained at the Royal Sandhurst Military Academy in the UK. He emphasized that the love and desire of Pakistan’s soldiers is to sacrifice themselves for the protection of their homeland.

According to Asif, the mother of Major Adnan said that if she had ten children, she would sacrifice them all for Pakistan. He added that Pakistan’s security forces are not driven by power, wealth, or fame, but by the principles of protecting their nation.

Pakistani officials earlier confirmed that three of the five suicide bombers involved in the attack on the security forces base in Bannu were Afghans. They identified the Afghan attackers as Abdul Aziz (known as Qasid Muhajir), Shabir Ahmad (known as Bilal Muhajir), and Najeeb (known as Huzayfa).

The attack, which took place on Tuesday, resulted in the deaths of six security personnel and six militants. The militants rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the wall of a military base and engaged in a 12-hour-long battle with Pakistani security forces.

In a video obtained by Afghanistan International, one of the attackers stated that he was ready to carry out a suicide attack “in the path of Allah” in Pakistan and called on the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) to facilitate his mission. The attacker claimed to be from Bahramcha district in Helmand province.

Pakistani officials have repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of harboring militants opposed to the Pakistani government. The Afghan Taliban, however, has consistently denied the presence of TTP or any other foreign militant groups in Afghanistan.

According to international organizations, around 6,000 Pakistani Taliban (TTP) militants are currently based in Afghanistan. These groups have noted that TTP militants are being trained in camps inside Afghanistan.