Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan faction claims responsibility for a mass-casualty attack in Peshawar highlighting security lapses while government struggles with economic crisis

Key points

• Event: On 30 January, a suicide bomber attacked a mosque in Peshawar killing at least 100 people and injuring 150 others. A faction of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) called Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) claimed the attack while the TTP denied responsibility
• Significance: The attack highlights an intensification of TTP's activities, security lapses, and failure of the government's policy and approach to dealing with the militants
• Outlook: TTP will very likely continue targeting security forces to destabilise the country. The security situation will remain fragile because of limited resources, with the government facing declining forex reserves and rising inflation

Event

On 30 January, a suicide bomber attacked a mosque in the Police Lines area, a high-security zone in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing at least 100 people and injuring 150 others, mostly policemen, several local and international media reported. The attack was claimed by a commander of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group, which later denied responsibility claiming that attacking mosques violated the group's laws.

However, a faction of the TTP called Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) claimed the attack to avenge the death of JuA's former chief Omar Khalid Khorasani who was killed in Afghanistan in August 2022. On 1 February 2023, Pakistani security forces arrested 17 suspects in relation to the investigation of the bombing. Presiding over the 255th Corps Commanders' Conference in Rawalpindi a day after the attack, the Chief of Army Staff, General Asim Munir, was quoted in a statement by the army, directing military leaders to focus on anti-terrorism operations by working with the intelligence and law enforcement agencies.

Significance