Suicide Bomber in Dera Ismail Khan Attack Linked to Afghanistan, Reveals Pak Agency
The Pakistani media reported on Wednesday that the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has traced the origins of a suicide bomber involved in a deadly attack on a police station in Dera Ismail Khan.
The bomber, identified as Sifatullah from Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, reportedly traveled to Afghanistan last year via Torkham and returned covertly, lacking legal documentation for his re-entry into Pakistan.
The CTD's investigation utilized car serial numbers and SIM card tracking to identify Sifatullah. On December 12, a group of six suicide bombers, including Sifatullah, targeted a security forces’ base in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, leading to the death of 23 soldiers and injuring several others. The attack, claimed by Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, began with an explosives-laden car ramming into the base.
Further investigations revealed two of the bombers, including Sifatullah, were of Afghan origin. Nine individuals, six of them Afghans, have been detained for allegedly aiding the attack. Hasan Afghani, another bomber, released a video message prior to the attack.
The CTD's findings indicate connections between the attackers and the Afghan Taliban, a claim confirmed by Sifatullah's father. However, Pakistani officials' assertions of militant activities in Afghanistan targeting Pakistani forces are denied by the Taliban.
