Militants opened fire on a security post in northwest Pakistan late Thursday, killing at least six personnel, according to a military statement on Friday. The military reported that it had successfully foiled the attackers’ attempt to storm the facility.
The assault, claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), was one of two intense confrontations along the Afghan border between Thursday and Friday.
The South Asian nation is grappling with a resurgence of Islamist militant attacks in the northwest and a growing ethnic separatist insurgency in the South.
According to a statement from the military’s information wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, “troops fought bravely, foiling the attempts of intrusion,” but six security personnel were killed during the intense exchange of fire.
The clash, which took place in South Waziristan’s restive tribal district, resulted in the deaths of five assailants.
In a different incident in North Waziristan, the military reported that seven militants were killed while attempting to enter Pakistan from Afghanistan.
A large cache of ammunition and explosives was recovered. Islamabad accuses the TTP of using Afghanistan as a base and claims the Taliban administration is providing safe havens near the border—allegations the Taliban deny.
While the TTP operates independently from the Afghan Taliban, it pledges loyalty to the Islamist group that now controls Afghanistan after the withdrawal of U.S.-led international forces in 2021.
This week, Munir Akram, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, warned the Security Council that although the TTP is currently perceived as a threat mainly to Pakistan, it could soon become the “spearhead of global terrorist goals,” potentially collaborating with groups like al-Qaeda.
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