The Pakistani government hoped that the return to power in mid-August 2021 of its Afghan Taliban allies in Kabul would mark the end of insurgent violence in the region. It was wishful thinking. Nearly ninety people, mainly police officers, were killed and around one hundred and fifty injured on Monday, January 30, in a suicide attack perpetrated in a mosque located in the heart of the police headquarters in Peshawar, in the northwest of the country.
This attack comes after the failure of a peace process initiated, under the aegis of the Afghan Taliban, between the government of Islamabad and the Pakistani Taliban movement of the TTP (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan). An internal war in Pakistan which could, in the long term, weigh on relations between Islamabad and Kabul.
The experts could not, Monday evening, determine with precision the circumstances of the attack. The first elements indicate that the explosion occurred in the second row of the faithful, a few seconds after the imam had started the prayer. Before mingling with the crowd, the suspect managed to pass through several security checks to enter the fortified area, called the “red zone”, which houses, in addition to the provincial police headquarters, an anti-terrorist division and several agencies. of intelligence.
chaotic relationship
Many victims were trapped by the collapse of part of the roof and several walls. The rescuers were still at work, Tuesday at the start of the day, to try to find survivors under the rubble. According to Peshawar police chief Muhammad Ijaz Khan, three to four hundred people were present inside the mosque, raising fears of a heavier toll. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the sponsors wanted to destabilize the country.
Sarbakaf Mohmand, a TTP commander, claimed responsibility for the attack. But, hours later, the movement’s spokesman, Mohammad Khurasani, denied any responsibility, saying he was not targeting mosques and religious places. He even added that the perpetrators of such acts could be subject to reprisals. These contradictory statements suggest possible differences within the movement.
This attack against Pakistan is, however, part of a chaotic relationship between the TTP and the government, which has constantly fluctuated between dialogue and repression. On November 9, 2021, the Pakistani government had signed a month-long ceasefire agreement with the TTP, which included the release of around 100 Pakistani Taliban movement militants. On December 9, considering that the Pakistani government ” continued[ait] to kill [ses] fighters »the TTP had refused to renew the ceasefire and clashes resumed.
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