Islamabad bombing: Pakistan arrests 4, links to Afghan cell

Pakistan's government announced on Friday that authorities have arrested four militants linked to the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, as part of an investigation into the suicide bombing at an Islamabad court earlier this week.

An attacker detonated a bomb outside a district court in the capital, Islamabad, on Tuesday, killing 12 people and injuring many others.

"The network was handled and guided at every step by the... high command based in Afghanistan," the government said in a statement posted to X.

"Investigations are continuing, and more revelations and arrests are expected," the statement said, identifying the bomber as Usman alias Qari, a resident of Afghanistan's Nangarhar province.

What to know about Pakistani Taliban or TTP

The militant Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, is designated a terrorist organization by the US and the UN. The group is separate from but allied with the Afghan Taliban. 

Pakistan often accuses Afghanistan of harboring TTP militants and their fighters for carrying out frequent attacks on Pakistani soil. Kabul denies the claim.

TTP fighters have emerged as among the biggest security challenges for Islamabad, experts say, as the group appears emboldened with the Taliban having regained power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Pakistan has also long accused New Delhi of supporting TTP fighters, allegations India denies. 

Pakistani minister says attack backed by India and Kabul, without evidence 

Pakistani Interior Minister Mohson Naqvi alleged in the aftermath of Tuesday's attack that it was "carried out by Indian-backed elements and Afghan Taliban proxies" linked to the Pakistani Taliban.

Naqvi offered no evidence for the claim and said authorities were "looking into all aspects" of the blast outside a district court.

India and Afghanistan's Taliban-led government have both rejected Pakistan's accusations.

One TTP breakaway faction, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, initially claimed responsibility for the Islamabad bombing, before one of its commanders retracted the statement.

Pakistan prime minister offers talks to Taliban

But Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday offered talks with Afghanistan's Taliban government following the collapse of peace negotiations in Istanbul last week.

The neighboring nations are trying to extend a truce that put an end to cross-border attacks that left dozens dead on both sides in October.

Pakistan's security challenge

Pakistan has been battling a surge in militant violence in recent years, with the attack Islamabad, largely considered a safe place so far, bringing that challenge into sharp focus.

Prior to Tuesday's deadly bombing, the last suicide attack in the capital took place in December 2022 when a suicide bomber killed one policeman.

Separately on Monday, three soldiers were killed when a suicide bomber and four other militants targeted Cadet College Wana in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. 

Edited by: Kieran Burke