PESHAWAR: A roadside bomb struck a vehicle carrying security forces in a former stronghold of local militants in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, killing four, police said.
The attack happened in Bajaur, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan. The area served as a base for the Pakistani Taliban until a few years ago, when the army said it cleared the region of insurgents. But the violence has continued there.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest attack.
Senior police officer Abdul Samad Khan said two police officers and two soldiers were killed in the attack. He said troops launched a search operation in the region to find those who orchestrated the attack.
Khan refused to speculate on who could be behind the attack.
But suspicion fell on Pakistan’s own Taliban who have been emboldened by the return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan, where thousands of Pakistani militants are still believed to be hiding.
Pakistan and Afghanistan share a 2,400-kilometer (1,500-mile) internationally recognized border known as the Durand Line, which was drawn in the 19th century when the British dominated South Asia. Kabul has never recognized the boundary.
Before the the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan often accused each other of turning a blind eye to militants operating along the porous frontier.
Bomb hits security vehicle in northwest Pakistan, killing four
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Bomb hits security vehicle in northwest Pakistan, killing four
- The attack happened in Bajaur, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan
- There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest attack, though suspicion fell on the Pakistani Taliban based in Afghanistan
Bangladesh to demand T20 World Cup matches be moved outside India
- Move to take place after India forced Bangladeshi player to quit Indian Premier League over political tensions
- Bangladesh are scheduled to play four of their T20 World Cup 2026 group matches in India starting February
DHAKA: Bangladesh will request their matches at next month’s T20 World Cup be played in Sri Lanka, after India forced a Bangladeshi player to quit the Indian Premier League.
“We will not accept any insult to Bangladeshi cricket, cricketers and Bangladesh under any circumstances,” said Asif Nazrul, Youth and Sports Adviser in the interim government, in a statement carried by the state-run BSS news agency Sunday.
“The days of slavery are over.”
Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was on Saturday released by the Kolkata Knight Riders after the IPL team were “advised” by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to do so, following tensions between the neighboring nations.
Nazrul said he had ordered the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to write to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
“The board should inform that, where a Bangladeshi cricketer cannot play in India despite being contracted, the entire Bangladeshi cricket team cannot feel safe going to play in the World Cup,” he wrote.
“I have also instructed the board to request that Bangladesh’s World Cup matches should be held in Sri Lanka.”
The T20 World Cup begins on February 7, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Bangladesh are scheduled to play their four group matches in India.
Pakistan will play all their matches in Sri Lanka, part of a deal that allows both India and Pakistan to play at neutral venues in multi-nation tournaments.
Political relations between India and Bangladesh soured after a mass uprising in Dhaka in 2024 toppled then prime minister Sheikh Hasina, a close ally of New Delhi.
India’s foreign ministry last month condemned what it called “unremitting hostility against minorities” in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.
Bangladesh’s interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, has accused India of exaggerating the scale of the violence.
BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul said the board will hold an emergency meeting later on Sunday.
“The dignity and security of our cricketers are our top priorities, and we will take a decision at the appropriate time keeping these in mind,” he told reporters late Saturday.
Mustafizur, who has previously played in the IPL for other teams, was snapped up at auction in December by Kolkata for more than $1 million.
But BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said that “considering recent developments” Kolkata had been “advised to release” the 30-year-old.
The 2026 IPL season begins on March 26.
Nazrul said he would also ask that the IPL be blocked from Bangladeshi broadcasters.
“I have requested the Information and Broadcasting Adviser to stop the broadcasting of the IPL tournament in Bangladesh,” he said.
Kolkata, majority-owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, subsequently said that Mustafizur’s “release has been carried out following due process and consultations.”
