On December 28, 2022, a Pakistani military outpost between Epi and Kajuri, in Mir Ali, in North Waziristan, was targeted in an SVBIED attack. On January 4, 2023, Hafiz Gul Bahdur (sometimes written Hafez Gul Bahadur) claimed responsibility for the attack and released a video documenting the Istishadi (suicide bomber) and the attack itself. North Waziristan, specifically the Mir Ali and Miranshah areas, have a long history of jihadi activity. However, it has been several years since Mir Ali and Miranshah have witnessed consecutive SVBIED attacks within such a short period of time. This surge of violence began during the last stages of reconciliation talks between the Pakistani government and jihadi groups based in the rural areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and later intensified after their failure. During this time, Hafiz Gul Bahdur demonstrated their ability to train Istishadis, and to plan and implement suicide attacks at a fast pace: during the second half of 2022, approximately 10 suicide bombings were reported in the vicinity of the two towns, most in the form of rickshaw SVBIEDs targeting military road patrols. However, this time, the target was different and more complex – a Pakistani outpost. Additionally, the attack incorporated a large capacity station wagon SVBIED, not a smaller rickshaw. With relations between jihadi groups and the Pakistani government on the decline, jihadi violence levels along the Durand Line remain high, with the hope of recreating the Afghan Taliban’s success in establishing a sovereign Islamic government.
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