The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as Pakistani Taliban, has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack on the Frontier Corps (FC) Headquarters in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, on Wednesday.
According to a statement released through the group’s media arm, Umar Media, the assault was carried out by its Al Farooq Brigade. The operation reportedly involved six attackers, including one who drove a vehicle laden with explosives into the compound, followed by five fighters who stormed the site with guns and explosives. The group said the assault lasted more than two hours.
The TTP described the attack, which it called “Ghazwa Quetta,” as retaliation for recent Pakistani military drone strikes in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that it alleged targeted civilians. It claimed 350 kilograms of explosives were used and said 40 security personnel were killed.
Pakistani authorities confirmed 10 deaths, including civilians, and at least 30 people injured.
The attack drew condemnation from several quarters, including the United States and Russian embassies in Islamabad.
Kiyya Baloch, a Norway-based journalist, wrote on X that the attack underscored how “timing and location now matter more for militants than casualties,” suggesting that the choice of Quetta was intended to amplify the political and symbolic impact.
The incident came just days after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he held talks with US President Donald Trump and sought to project Pakistan as a stabilising regional force. Analysts noted the timing may have been aimed at undermining Islamabad’s efforts to highlight its role in regional security.
Quetta, as the capital of Balochistan, hosts major government and military institutions. By striking in the city, the militants demonstrated their ability to mount complex operations in heavily guarded urban areas, not just remote districts.
Following the attack, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) announced it had killed 18 TTP fighters in two separate operations in Sherani and Quetta. The TTP, however, denied the claim, with its spokesman Mohammad Khorasani alleging those killed had already been in military custody.