ISLAMABAD: Authorities have imposed a partial curfew in the northwestern South Waziristan district near the Afghanistan border in Pakistan’s restive northwest, amid a surge in militant attacks against security forces.
The partial curfew in the South Waziristan district comes weeks after a military convoy was ambushed in the district, when “armed men opened fire from both sides with heavy weapons,” killing 12 security personnel and wounding four, a local government official said. The Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack in a message on social media.
Pakistan has witnessed a sharp increase in militant attacks in its northwestern districts bordering Afghanistan, where the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups have mounted their attacks in recent months, frequently targeting security forces convoys and check-posts, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials.
The curfew was imposed in Serwekai tehsil of South Waziristan on Kandahari to Siplatoi and Baron to Molay Khan routes from 6am till 7pm on Saturday in view of a threats to the movement of security contingents and logistics that may result in loss of civilian life and property, according to KP Additional Chief Secretary for Home and Tribal Affairs, Muhammad Abid Majeed.
“People are requested to abide by the restriction and cooperate with concerned authorities,” Majeed said in a notification.
The Pakistani Taliban have stepped up their attacks against the security forces since a fragile truce with the government broke down in Nov. 2022. The group is separate from but has been emboldened by the return of the Taliban to Afghanistan in Aug. 2021.
Last year was Pakistan’s deadliest in nearly a decade, with more than 1,600 deaths, nearly half of them soldiers and police officers, according to the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies.
Islamabad has frequently accused Afghanistan of allowing the use of its soil and India of backing militant groups for attacks against Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi both deny the allegation.
