Pakistan tightens security measures amid threat of terrorist attacks

Pakistani authorities have strengthened security measures across the country due to threats of attacks by militants from Afghanistan, thehindu.com reports, citing Pakistan’s Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry.

“Our armed forces have been placed on high alert to respond to the terrorist threat,” the official said.

According to the minister, dozens of suspects, including Afghan nationals, have been arrested in recent weeks as a result of security operations. Additional evidence has been gathered indicating the involvement of militants from Afghanistan in terrorist attacks carried out in the Islamic State.

Intelligence reports suggest that these militants could launch attacks in Pakistani provinces in the coming days. On Feb. 22, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting reported that Pakistani forces carried out targeted strikes on positions of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan militants and the Afghanistan-based branch of the Islamic State, known as Wilayat Khorasan.

The ministry stated that the operation was conducted in response to recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan, including a bombing at a mosque in Islamabad.

Afghan authorities reported that dozens of civilians were killed as a result of Pakistan’s strikes, which they called a “provocative act.” Kabul declared that it reserves the right to respond decisively to what it described as a “violation of the country’s territorial integrity.”