Rebels launched a devastating suicide attack on a Pakistani army checkpoint in Bajaur district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on 16 February 2026, killing 11 security personnel and one child, according to the Pakistani military.

The assault occurred near the volatile Afghan border, where rebels rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the checkpoint after security forces blocked their entry into a nearby residential compound housing soldiers.

Seven others were wounded, including women and children, highlighting the indiscriminate nature of the violence in this restive region.

The military reported that 12 attackers were killed during a subsequent clash as they attempted to flee the scene, underscoring the intensity of the firefight that followed the initial blast.

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Islamist militant group also known as the Pakistani Taliban, swiftly claimed responsibility for the attack.

The TTP has been locked in a protracted insurgency against the Pakistani state since 2007, seeking to impose its rigid interpretation of Islamic law across the country.

Violence has surged since the group abandoned a ceasefire with Islamabad in late 2022, with attacks becoming more frequent and audacious.

Pakistan accuses the Taliban regime in Afghanistan of harbouring TTP fighters across the porous border, a claim repeatedly rejected by Kabul.

This incident in Bajaur fits into a broader pattern of escalating militancy, exacerbated by regional instability following the Afghan Taliban's 2021 takeover.

Just weeks earlier, a rare bombing at a mosque in Islamabad during Friday prayers claimed over 30 lives, with Islamic State rebels taking credit and stoking fears of a multi-front militant resurgence.

Bajaur, part of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2018, remains a hotbed for TTP operations due to its rugged terrain and proximity to Afghanistan's Kunar and Nangarhar provinces.

The attack exposes ongoing vulnerabilities in Pakistan's border security, despite military operations like Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasad aimed at dismantling militant networks.

Internationally, the incident draws attention to Pakistan's fragile security landscape, with implications for regional powers like India monitoring cross-border terrorism dynamics. Pakistan's military vowed a robust response, but sustaining operations amid resource constraints and political pressures poses challenges.

Civil society in Peshawar and beyond condemned the attack, calling for enhanced intelligence and community engagement to counter radicalisation.

As the death toll underscores, Pakistan grapples with a militant threat that shows no signs of abating, testing the resolve of its security apparatus.

Agencies