"Prime Minister accuses Afghan citizens of supporting Pakistani militants, calls for action against transnational terrorism"

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stated that the militants responsible for a series of suicide attacks in Pakistan are receiving support from Afghan citizens across the border. While Sharif did not directly accuse the Afghan Taliban government of knowingly allowing these attacks, he did acknowledge that Pakistan militants are operating from sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

Islamabad has previously claimed that fighters from the Pakistan Taliban are freely operating from Afghanistan, a charge that Kabul denies. Sharif's comments came in the wake of a deadly bombing at a political gathering near the countries' shared frontier, which was claimed by the Pakistan chapter of the Islamic State group. Sharif expressed concern over the involvement of Afghan citizens in the suicide attacks and called for measures to be taken to prevent Afghanistan's soil from being used for transnational terrorism.

The Afghan government spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, condemned the attack and assured that Afghanistan is serious about preventing its soil from being used against anyone. The United States also condemned the suicide bombing and expressed solidarity with Pakistan.