Return Of The Pakistani Taliban

The Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) militant group, commonly known as the Pakistani Taliban, announced its return in late January with a suicide attack on a mosque in a police compound in Peshawar in northwestern Pakistan. The Jan. 30 bombing killed at least 100 people and injured 217 others. The 26-pound (12-kg) explosive device was detonated during prayers observed primarily by law enforcement personnel.

The attack renewed the spotlight on the Pakistani terrorist group, which had previously curbed its activities under agreements with Islamabad. With the return to power of the Taliban organization in Afghanistan, the TTP appears to be resuming its fight with the Pakistani government.

The Pakistani Taliban initially claimed that it had conducted the attack in retaliation for the death of Omar Khalid Khorasani, a founding member of the group. Khorasani and two other TTP members died in a roadside mine blast on Aug. 7, 2022, in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province on the border with Pakistan. The TTP later denied any involvement in the Peshawar attack.

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