Description: Five police officers were reported to have been murdered by the Pakistani Taliban terrorist organization (TTP) in the Karak district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The attack drew strong condemnation by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who stated that police officers were always at the forefront in the battle against terrorism. The regional police after the attack cordoned off the site and engaged in a pursuit after the armed assailants killing 8 of the suspected terrorists. Pakistan has continuously blamed Afghanistan for providing safe harbor for terrorist organizations such as the TTP which are aligned with the national Taliban government in the country. Afghanistan has consistently negated their involvement and stated that the issue with the militants was a domestic problem for Pakistan. The two countries are engaged in a protracted negotiations process over their most recent cross – border armed confrontation mediated by Qatar and Turkey. The last round of negotiations in Istanbul last week delivered no concrete solutions or proposals for resolving the crisis.
Impact: Terrorist and militant organizations continue to exploit the frail border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan, targeting crucial regions within Pakistan while inciting renewed confrontations between the two countries. The constant attacks are compromising any reconciliation efforts which have been made by Turkey and Qatar to bring about some form of cooperation between the administrations in Islamabad and Kabul. Ever since their brief confrontation two months ago, both countries are reluctant to constructively challenge the issue with terrorist and militant organizations operating across their shared borderline. Afghanistan is being used as a proxy force by India to destabilize Pakistan, while Pakistan’s security overextension of resources and personnel across multiple fronts as well as previous ties and sponsorships of terrorist groups in the region prevents the country to counteract the organizations. The region is expected to remain unstable in the long – term, since militant, terrorist and separatist organizations would continue to wage guerilla – style attacks further destabilizing Pakistan.