Following a deadly bombing at the Kohat Police Lines that killed 21 people, Pakistan warned Afghanistan on Saturday, September 19, 2026, that it possesses the will and capability to eliminate terrorist threats wherever they reside, while urging the international community to pressure the Taliban regime.
Pakistan’s government issued a sharp warning following a terrorist attack that struck civilians and police personnel during Friday prayers. The bombing at the Kohat Police Lines killed at least 21 people, including 15 police officials, before the death toll later climbed to 23 during clearance operations. According to official statements from the Ministry of Information, an explosives-laden vehicle detonated near a mosque, allowing multiple attackers to storm the compound and target police facilities.
Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Ittihadul Mujahideen Pakistan, led by Afghanistan-based Hafiz Gul Bahadur. Islamabad placed direct blame on cross-border elements, characterizing the assault as the work of the vilest of Khwarij with roots in Afghanistan
and insisting that terrorism bears no religion or justification.
Islamabad Demands Taliban Dismantle Sanctuaries
Pakistan maintains that militant groups such as the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan utilize Afghan territory as a base for planning and executing attacks across the border.
While the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a condemnation of the Kohat violence and offered sympathy to grieving families, Islamabad noted that the statement omitted any explicit mention of terrorism. In response, Pakistan demanded credible, verifiable, and sustained measures from the Taliban rather than deflected responsibility or empty diplomatic words.
United Nations Security Council Confronts Regional Terror Crisis
The cross-border security crisis also took center stage at the United Nations, where Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, addressed a Security Council meeting on the situation in Afghanistan five years after the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul. Ahmad told the council that over 4,700 Pakistanis had lost their lives to terrorism emanating from Afghan soil over the past three years.
We will respond in self-defence, as and when needed and in accordance with international law.
Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, via Dawn
Ahmad warned that Afghanistan has once again transformed into a safe haven for multiple banned organizations, including the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, the Baloch Liberation Army and its Majeed Brigade, Islamic State-Khorasan, and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement. He added that the security breakdown is further compounded by external spoilers utilizing proxies inside Afghanistan to target neighboring states.
International Concerns Over Governance and Stalled Expectations
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres outlined persistent challenges facing Afghanistan, highlighting that restrictions on women and girls, exclusionary governance, economic pressures, and declining service capacity continue to threaten long-term stability. A recent UN report documented 88 attacks across 21 Afghan provinces between May 1 and the end of July, carried out by armed opposition groups.
During the same UNSC session, United States Ambassador Mike Waltz criticized the Taliban’s human rights abuses, arbitrary arrests, and the ongoing ban on girls’ education beyond the sixth grade. Waltz also accused the regime of detaining American citizens to use as bargaining chips, demanding that the international community move past endless dialogue.
“How many UN reports documenting abuse? How many Council resolutions demanding change? How many years of ‘engagement’ can we pass before we see measurable results?”
Mike Waltz, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, via Dawn
While Pakistan has facilitated unhindered humanitarian aid—noting that at least 687 humanitarian cargo trucks crossed into Afghanistan during the recent reporting period—diplomatic patience is wearing thin. Islamabad stressed that it would not allow the pretense of engagement to shield those who threaten its citizens, leaving open the prospect of unilateral self-defense as security pressures mount.
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