Militants kill at least 6 Pakistani soldiers near Afghan border

Islamabad – At least six soldiers were killed and 14 wounded in militant attacks on Pakistani security posts in the northwestern border region on Friday. Seven attackers were killed in the shelling.

The pre-dawn clashes broke out in parts of the militancy-hit South Waziristan district near the Afghan border. At least four soldiers were among the wounded, described as “seriously injured.”

Multiple local security officials confirmed the casualty details to VOA on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.

VOA contacted Pakistani military media representatives for comment on the reports of the attacks but did not receive an immediate response.

Militants affiliated with the illegal organization Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, claimed responsibility for the deadly violence.

The TTP regularly carries out and claims responsibility for attacks on security forces and government installations in South Waziristan and surrounding districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.

Authorities have reported the deaths of hundreds of soldiers, police and civilians in TTP-led violence in the province and elsewhere in Pakistan this year. The latest report by the provincial counterterrorism department documented the deaths of at least 100 police officers and an equal number of civilians in the first nine months of 2024, with hundreds more injured.

Pakistani authorities maintain that the TTP, designated a global terrorist organization by the United Nations, organizes attacks from its Afghan security bases with the help of radical Taliban leaders from the neighboring country.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mumtaz Baloch reiterated Islamabad’s concerns at her weekly news conference on Thursday.

“We have provided concrete evidence of the involvement of these entities in terrorist attacks in Pakistan and we expect the Afghan authorities to take action against those responsible for these terrorist attacks,” Baloch said.

“The Afghan authorities are fully aware of who these individuals are. They know the location of these individuals and entities in Afghanistan. Therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their territory is not used to foment terrorism against Pakistan,” she added.

The Taliban government, which is not officially recognized by any country, denies accusations that the TTP or any other foreign groups operate or have the ability to threaten neighboring countries from Afghan territory.

However, a recent UN security assessment contradicts the Taliban’s claims, describing the TTP as the “largest terrorist group” in Afghanistan, with a force of about 6,000 members trained and equipped in al-Qaeda camps in the country.

The rise in cross-border TTP attacks since the Taliban regained power in Kabul three years ago has strained relations between the two countries, leading to a sharp decline in bilateral and transit trade between Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan.