Monday, militants armed with explosives and guns attacked a police station in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban killing 10 officers. No group has immediately claimed responsibility for this attack, but the police are working to find the attackers. This came two months after a suicide bomber killed 23 troops and wounded 32 others outside a police station in the same district. The suicide bomber was claimed by a newly formed militant group – Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan. This group is believed to be an offshoot of the Pakistani Taliban. The attack on Monday is a week ahead of this week’s parliamentary elections. Pakistan has had an increase in militant attacks in recent months.
These attacks will have lasting effects on the region and the state because they could lead to the rise of a dangerous militant group. The Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan has not been confirmed for the attack on Monday but it is highly likely. They are also targeting mainly police officers which can leave Pakistan in trouble with less protection in their state. It’s not a coincidence that most of these attacks have been in former Pakistani Taliban territory and the Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan is said to be the new Pakistani Taliban. People likely agreed with the same ideals as the Pakistani Taliban and are upset with their current government or police.
This relates to our international relations class because it deals with a security threat. The state of Pakistan is undergoing attacks from a terrorist organization which is said to be the offshoot of the Pakistani Taliban. It is a major security threat because the terrorist organization’s attacks have been targeting police stations. The police protect the people of the state and with them being killed it will lead to fewer police officers and less trust in their government and police until they stop these attacks from happening. This is also classified as an intrastate conflict because it is a conflict within a state.