Militants opened fire on a security post in northwest Pakistan late on Thursday. The attack killed at least six personnel, the military said in a statement on Friday. It added that they had foiled an attempt by the attackers to storm the premises.
The attack was claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Islamist militant group, and was one of two fierce encounters along the border with Afghanistan between Thursday and Friday.
The South Asian nation is faced with a resurgence of attacks by Islamist militants in the northwest as well as an intensifying ethnic separatist insurgency in the South.
“Troops fought bravely, foiling the attempts of intrusion,” the military’s information wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement, adding that six security personnel were killed in an intense exchange of fire.
Five assailants were killed in the encounter, which took place in the restive tribal district of South Wazirstan, the statement added.
Multiple Attacks
In a separate incident in the neighbouring district of North Waziristan, the military said it had killed a group of seven militants attempting to enter Pakistan from Afghanistan, and recovered a large quantity of ammunition and explosives.
Islamabad says TTP uses Afghanistan as a base and says the ruling Taliban administration has provided safe havens to the group close to the border. The Taliban deny this.
The TTP is separate from the Afghan Taliban movement, but pledges loyalty to the Islamist group that now rules Afghanistan after the withdrawal of U.S. led international forces from the country in 2021.
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Munir Akram warned the Security Council this week that the TTP, while currently perceived as a threat only to his country, could soon become the “spearhead of global terrorist goals” including of groups such as al Qaeda.
