Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on Thursday vowed to bring the planners and facilitators of the recent terrorist attack on Bannu Cantonment to justice “wherever they may be”, the military’s media wing said.
A statement issued from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the army chief visited Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district today in the wake of Tuesday’s attack.
The ISPR said COAS Munir, during his visit , expressed “profound condolences to the families of innocent civilians who lost their lives in this heinous and cowardly terrorist incident”. He also assured that while the incident’s perpetrators were neutralised instantly, the “planners and facilitators of the dastardly attack would also be brought to justice soon, wherever they may be”.
The army chief underscored that the “barbaric targeting” of civilians, including children, women and the elderly, “exposed the true intentions” of terrorists as enemies of Islam.
“Emphasising the pivotal role of the local community, he reiterated that national unity is imperative in the fight against terrorism and assured that the armed forces would spare no effort in ensuring the safety and security of the people of Pakistan.”
The COAS was briefed on ongoing operations during his visit and the overall security situation of the area. He also visited Combined Military Hospital Bannu to check up on the health and well-being of the injured soldiers, acknowledging their “resilience and unwavering dedication”.
The army chief commended the “high morale and steadfast resolve” of the troops, reaffirming that the military would continue to serve as a bulwark against terrorism to ensure the state’s security and stability.
Addressing the troops, COAS Munir “lauded their heroic actions, recognising their swift and decisive response in neutralising the attackers and thwarting their nefarious designs”, adding that the fight against terrorists and their facilitators, “acting on the behest of hostile elements”, would continue until its logical conclusion.
The army chief highlighted that terrorist groups, including the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), continued to operate from Afghan soil against Pakistan. He underscored that the use of foreign weapons and equipment in recent terrorist attacks was “clear evidence that Afghanistan remained a safe haven for such elements”. He reaffirmed that no entity would be allowed to disrupt Pakistan’s peace and stability.
Separately, the scourge of terrorism continues to plague Pakistan making it the world’s second-most terrorism-affected country in 2024, as per a Global Terrorism Index 2025 report.
Pakistan – placed at the second spot from its previously fourth position – witnessed an alarming 45% increase in terrorism-related deaths with the total rising from 748 in 2023 to 1,081 in 2024 – one of the steepest surges globally.
Meanwhile, the number of terror attacks more than doubled from 517 in 2023 to 1,099 in 2024, which also marked the first year that attacks exceeded the 1,000 mark since the inception of the Index.
Echoing Pakistan’s repeated stance on the use of Afghanistan’s territory by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other terrorist organisations to carry attacks against Pakistan, the GTI report underscored a coinciding significant increase in terrorism in Pakistan and the rise of Afghan Taliban to power in Kabul.
Noting that the militant groups operating from Afghanistan have intensified their attacks, particularly along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the report said that the TTP remained the deadliest terrorist group in the country, accounting for 52% of all terrorism-related deaths.
The outlawed outfit carried out 482 attacks in 2024, which led to 558 deaths. The attacks carried out by the groups doubled in the previous year coupled with a 90% increase in deaths.
“Since the [Afghan] Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, TTP has capitalised on increased operational freedom and access to safe havens across the border. This has allowed the group to plan and execute attacks with greater impunity,” reads the report.
The number of attacks attributed to the TTP was at its highest ever on record in 2024, while deaths caused by the group were at their highest level since 2011, it stated.
Meanwhile, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remain the most heavily affected provinces – which also share a border with neighbouring Afghanistan – accounted for over 96% of terrorist attacks and deaths in Pakistan in 2024.
Furthermore, the GTI report mentions the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) for being responsible deadliest terror attack of 2024, when a suicide bomber killed at least 25 civilians and soldiers at Quetta railway station.
Attacks by BLA and other similar outfits, the report adds, increased significantly from 116 in 2023 to 504 in 2024 with fatalities increasing fourfold to 388, from 88 in 2023.
This comes as Pakistani security forces arrested four Afghan terrorists near the Pak-Afghan border in Balochistan, seizing weapons and explosives during a successful operation, sources said on Thursday.
The militants, the security sources mentioned, confessed to planning major terrorist attacks in Pakistan.
The operation took place on March 5 in Toba Kakari, where security forces captured the four militants and also recovered arms and ammunition.
Recovered weapons included Kalashnikovs, hand grenades, and other firearms, according to security officials.
One of the arrested militants, identified as Osamuddin, son of Gulshad, admitted in a video confession that he entered Pakistan illegally three days ago from Afghanistan.
He revealed that he received terrorist training and was instructed to carry out attacks in Pakistan.
Osamuddin further said that he and his accomplices crossed the border at night through the barbed-wire fence and were headed towards Pishin. He also disclosed that he was carrying two rifles, two Kalashnikovs, a grenade, and other weapons at the time of his arrest.
The security sources confirmed that the arrested terrorists have been moved to an undisclosed location for further interrogation.
Authorities also reiterated that several Afghan militants have previously been neutralised by security forces during counterterrorism operations.
