Explosion Suspected Of Suicide Attack Near Pakistan's Islamabad Court, 12 People Died

JAKARTA - The explosion occurred in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, killing 12 people and injuring 20 people.

Security sources in Pakistan told CNN an explosion near the High Court on Tuesday, November 11, was being investigated as a suicide attack.

The country's president, Asif Ali Zardari, released a statement condemning what he called a "suicide explosion" near the city's High Court.

Islamabad requires high-level security to enter and leave cities with special security zones throughout the capital. The explosion occurred in the parking area of the crowded city justice complex, in a district full of high-level government offices.

No party has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but a statement released by security sources to CNN claims the attack was carried out by militants linked to the Afghan and Indian Taliban.

Pakistan's Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, stated on X that Pakistan was in a "war condition" and this attack should be considered a "warning" regarding negotiations with neighboring Afghanistan.

Pakistan has faced a surge in Islamist violence since the Afghan Taliban took control of Kabul in 2021. Islamabad has long accused Kabul of protecting the Pakistani Taliban militant group (known as TTP), a charge the Afghan militant group denies.

Clashes between the Pakistani military and Afghanistan in October were the worst violence between the two countries in recent years.