Pakistan Cracks Down on Taliban Cell Behind Deadly Islamabad Blast, Blames Afghanistan

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Pakistan has arrested four members of a Taliban cell suspected of carrying out a devastating suicide bombing in Islamabad this week, which killed 12 people and wounded dozens. The government has accused Afghanistan's Taliban regime of orchestrating the attack from its territory. The bombing, claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), targeted court buildings in the capital city on Tuesday. Investigations have revealed that the cell was led by Usman alias Qari, an Afghan national from Nangarhar province. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has alleged that the bomber was an Afghan national and that the attack was planned and guided by the Afghan Taliban's high command. The government has not disclosed where the arrests were made, but officials are optimistic that more revelations and arrests will follow. The incident has sparked a fresh row between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with Islamabad accusing the Taliban regime of sheltering militant groups that are behind the recent surge in violence. The two countries have been engaged in a diplomatic standoff since recent attacks, which have resulted in the worst cross-border clashes in years. Pakistan has largely been spared major militant violence in recent years, but the country is facing a resurgence of violence, which officials attribute to armed groups allegedly based in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for peace and has urged Afghanistan to agree to a ceasefire, but the situation remains fragile, with the risk of renewed hostilities looming large.