PESHAWAR: A suicide car bomber backed by the Pakistani Taliban attacked a sprawling compound of security forces in Pakistan's northwest near the Afghan border Friday, triggering an intense shootout that left three militants dead, police said.
The attack took place in Mir Ali, a city in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Irfan Ali, a local police official, said. The impact of the bombing damaged nearby homes, he said.
It was unclear whether there were any troop casualties, and there was no immediate comment from the military.
The attack came just days after Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to a ceasefire following days of cross-border fighting that killed dozens and wounded hundreds on both sides.
The ceasefire, which began Wednesday and is set to expire Friday evening, was brokered with help from “friendly countries” encouraging both sides to extend the truce.
Local media reported that Qatar has offered to host peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Doha, though neither government has confirmed the offer.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks since January, mostly blamed on the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.
It has strained ties between Islamabad and Kabul as Pakistan says the group is being sheltered in Afghanistan.
Pakistan's military has carried out multiple operations against militants in the region this week, killing 88 militants, according to security officials and police in the region.
This week’s clashes between the two countries were the deadliest since 2021, when the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan following the collapse of the Western-backed government as US and NATO forces withdrew after 20 years of war.
Tensions have remained high along the border since last week when Kabul accused Islamabad of carrying out a strike in the Afghan capital, a claim Pakistan’s government and military have not acknowledged.
Pakistani security officials, however, said the strike was aimed at targeting Noor Wali, the head of the TTP.
The Pakistani Taliban shared a video Thursday claiming Wali is alive and hiding somewhere in northwestern Pakistan.