Pakistan: Car bombing in Peshawar suburb July 17

Event

Three security checkpoint personnel were killed and nine others were injured in Peshawar’s southwestern suburb of Hayatabad (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, near the Afghan border) on Monday, July 17, in a suicide bombing claimed by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The bomber, riding a motorcycle, targeted a military convoy near the Bagh-e-Naran Chowk intersection in Hayatabad, which was traveling to the military headquarters in Qila Bala Hisar.

Context

This attack follows an announcement made by the government on July 16 regarding the launch of a ground and air counter-terrorist offensive in the Khyber tribal agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

Extremist Islamist groups, including Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, continue to pose a threat throughout the country despite continued army offensives to push them from their northwestern strongholds near the Afghan border. Pakistan suffered a number of deadly attacks earlier in the year, notably in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the FATA, Peshawar, and Lahore. A recent suicide bombing claimed by the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar militant group occurred at a military camp in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border on July 14.

Advice

Due to the high threat of terrorism (as well as kidnapping and sectarian violence), individuals present in Pakistan are advised to report any suspicious objects or behavior to the relevant authorities. To reduce the risk of kidnapping, individuals should avoid falling into daily routines (e.g. vary the times and routes of travel) to avoid becoming a predictable and vulnerable target. Some Western governments advise their citizens against travel to Pakistan, where foreign nationals, in particular Westerners, may be directly targeted.