ISLAMABAD – Pakistan opened a probe Wednesday into the suicide bombing outside an Islamabad district court that left 12 dead the day before, underscoring the challenges facing the government as it struggles with militant attacks , border tensions and a fragile ceasefire with Afghanistan.

The attack at the court, located on the edge of the city and next to a residential area, also raised alarms that despite multiple operations by the security forces to crush the militants, they are still capable of mounting high-profile bombings in the Pakistani capital.

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Authorities have struggled with a surge in militant attacks in recent years but until Tuesday's bombing, Islamabad has largely been considered a safer place.

Forensic teams and police were combing through debris

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