Islamabad,Pakistan – A car bomb detonated outside a district court in Islamabad on Monday,killing at least 11 people and injuring dozens more,according to Pakistani officials. The blast, which occurred near the F-8 Markaz area, sent debris flying and sparked a fire that engulfed several vehicles.
The attack underscores a recent surge in militant violence across Pakistan, raising concerns about security ahead of upcoming elections. While no group has immediately claimed duty,the bombing evokes memories of past attacks by the Pakistani Taliban,or TTP,who have been emboldened as the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. Many of the TTP’s leaders and fighters are believed to have taken refuge in Afghanistan.
“The explosion took place in a crowded area, and the casualties are likely to rise,” said a police official at the scene, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Emergency services rushed to the site, transporting the injured to nearby hospitals.
Pakistan has experienced a notable increase in militant attacks in recent years. The deadliest assault on a school occurred in 2014, when Taliban gunmen killed 154 people, mostly children, at an army-run school in Peshawar.
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been escalating in recent months. Kabul blamed islamabad for drone strikes on Oct. 9 that killed several people in the Afghan capital and vowed retaliation. Cross-border fighting ensued, resulting in dozens of casualties before a ceasefire brokered by Qatar on Oct. 19. Subsequent peace talks in Istanbul have failed to yield an agreement, with Kabul refusing to provide written assurances that Afghan territory will not be used by the TTP and other militant groups against Pakistan. A previous ceasefire between pakistan and the TTP, brokered by Kabul in 2022, also collapsed after accusations of violations.