Pakistan's Foreign Ministry stated that the attackers were linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a terrorist group based in Afghanistan that carries out cross-border attacks. The statement noted that the group was "responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Pakistani citizens and security personnel."

"Pakistan reiterated its grave concern over the presence of terrorist groups inside Afghanistan, which continue to threaten the security of Pakistan," Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, reiterating its call for Afghanistan to take decisive action against terrorist groups.

Pakistani security officials said an investigation into the Bannu attack has identified one of the slain attackers as an Afghan national, a resident of Afghanistan's eastern Logar province and an active Afghan Taliban fighter.

The United States, commenting on the rise in militant violence in Pakistan, again called on Taliban authorities to take action against extremist threats emanating from Afghanistan.

“We continue to insist that the Taliban ensure that terrorist attacks are not carried out from Afghan soil. That has been and remains a priority for us in our relationship with them,” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

Earlier this month, the United Nations released a report on the security situation in Afghanistan, calling the TTP "the largest terrorist group" operating in the country.

“The TTP continues to conduct major operations in Afghanistan and carry out terrorist attacks on Pakistan from there, often using Afghans,” the UN Sanctions Monitoring Group said in a report. It also notes that the Taliban and al-Qaeda are increasingly supporting TTP cross-border attacks.

“The Taliban does not consider the TTP a terrorist group: ties between them are strong and the Taliban have significant obligations to the TTP,” the UN report said.

Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid rejected the UN findings, saying they were part of an attempt to smear their Islamic government in Kabul.

The TTP, known as the Pakistani Taliban, is known to have publicly pledged allegiance to the Afghan Taliban. It provided cover on Pakistani soil and recruited its Afghan ideological allies for years of insurgency against US-led NATO troops until the withdrawal of US and international forces in 2021, after which the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan.