ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 11, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Pakistan summoned the top Afghan diplomat in the country on Monday after concluding that a deadly suicide attack at the weekend was "masterminded by terrorists residing in Afghanistan", the foreign ministry said.

A suicide attacker detonated a car bomb at a checkpoint in Pakistan's northwest and militants opened fire on police on Saturday, killing at least 15 people, according to officials.

The foreign ministry said in a statement it had summoned the Afghan charge d'affaires and "conveyed that a detailed investigation into the incident, along with evidence collected and technical intelligence, indicates that the attack was masterminded by terrorists residing in Afghanistan".

A senior administrative official in Bannu, the area near the Afghan border where the attack took place, said that "during the assault, the militants used quadcopters along with heavy weaponry".

Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, the official said that more than 100 militants took part in the attack.

The US embassy in Islamabad said in a post on X it was "deeply saddened by the tragic events in Bannu".

"Pakistan's citizens deserve security, peace, and a future unburdened by the scourge of terrorist violence," it added.

Bannu has been gripped in recent years by militant activity that has grown across Pakistan's border regions.

Afghanistan's Taliban government has repeatedly denied Pakistan's accusations that Afghan territory was a safe harbour for militants.

The frosty relationship between the neighbouring countries has spiralled into deadly armed conflict in recent months, including Pakistani airstrikes on cities in Afghanistan.