Horror Outside Islamabad Court: 12 Dead, 27 Injured in Suicide Bombing

Footage showed a car engulfed in flames and smoke billowing into the air after a suicide bomber struck outside the gates of a district court in Islamabad on Tuesday, detonating explosives next to a police vehicle and killing 12 people, according to Pakistan’s Interior Minister. Witnesses described scenes of chaos in the immediate aftermath of the explosion, which also injured 27 people. The blast was heard miles away and occurred during a busy time of day, when the area outside the court is typically crowded with hundreds of visitors attending hearings. A breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar group, initially claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Sarbakaf Mohmand, a commander from the group, later sent WhatsApp messages denying any such claim. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar had split from the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) after its leader was killed in a blast in Afghanistan in 2022. While some members have since rejoined the TTP, others remain separate, highlighting ongoing divisions among the insurgents. The group has carried out smaller attacks in the past, but its apparent capability to strike in the Pakistani capital is likely to further complicate the government’s challenges amid a resurgent TTP, rising border tensions, and a fragile ceasefire with neighboring Afghanistan.