Militants kill at least 6 Pakistan soldiers near Afghan border  

Islamabad — Militant attacks against security outposts in Pakistan’s northwestern border region Friday resulted in the deaths of at least six soldiers and injuries to 14 others, while 12 assailants were killed in return fire.

The predawn clashes occurred in militancy-hit districts of South Waziristan and neighboring North Waziristan bordering Afghanistan. The wounded include at least four soldiers who were described as “seriously injured.”

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

The Pakistani military’s media wing later released a statement confirming the fatalities of both militants and troops but did not mention any injuries suffered by the soldiers during the two attacks.

The statement reported that a group of militants attacked a security outpost in South Waziristan, triggering an “intense exchange of fire” between the two sides, resulting in the death of six personnel and five assailants.

The military stated that seven militants were killed while attempting to "infiltrate" the border from the Afghan side in North Waziristan. They were "surrounded" and "effectively engaged" by Pakistani border troops.

“A large quantity of weapons, ammunition, and explosives was also recovered,” the statement said.

Militants affiliated with the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, are reported to have claimed responsibility for the deadly violence.

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

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

The Pakistani government maintains the TTP, designated as a global terrorist organization by the United Nations, is orchestrating attacks from its Afghan sanctuaries with the help of the neighboring country’s radical Taliban leaders.

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

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

“The Afghan authorities are fully aware of who these individuals are. They know the location of these individuals and entities inside Afghanistan. It is, therefore, 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 allegations that the TTP or any other foreign groups operate or are being allowed to threaten neighboring countries from Afghan soil.

However, recent U.N. security assessments have contradicted Taliban claims, describing the TTP as “the largest terrorist group” in Afghanistan, with a force of around 6,000 members being trained and equipped at al-Qaida-run camps in the country.

The increase in TTP cross-border attacks since the Taliban regained power in Kabul three years ago has strained relations between the two countries. The tensions have resulted in a significant decline in bilateral and transit trade between Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan.