Pakistan summons Afghan diplomat to protest terrorist attack

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan on Wednesday summoned the Afghanistan's deputy head of mission in Islamabad to lodge a protest over a gun-and-bomb attack that killed 8 army troops in northwest Pakistan earlier this week.

Islamabad delivered a "strong" demarche over the deadly militant attack that targeted the cantonment area in the Bannu district of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday, said a statement from Pakistan's Foreign Ministry.

Pakistan holds "Afghanistan-based" Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), responsible for the deaths of hundreds of civilians and law enforcement officials in multiple militant attacks inside the country in recent months.

"The Interim Afghan Government was urged to fully investigate and take immediate, robust and effective action against the perpetrators of the Bannu attack and to prevent the recurrence of such attacks against Pakistan using the territory of Afghanistan," the statement added.

Pakistan reiterated its "serious" concerns over the alleged presence of militant outfits inside Afghanistan that continue to threaten Islamabad’s security.

Such incidents also go against the spirit of bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries, it added.

"The Bannu Cantonment attack is yet another reminder of the serious threat posed by terrorism to regional peace and security," the statement said.

Pakistan reiterated the call for a "decisive action against terrorism and remains steadfast in its commitment to combat this menace."

Islamabad accuses "Afghanistan-based" TTP militants of carrying out terrorist attacks inside Pakistan. Afghanistan rebuffs the allegation.