KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Seven Pakistani soldiers were killed and 13 others injured in a suicide attack near the Afghanistan border in North Waziristan on Friday, officials said, amid a fragile ceasefire following days of intense border clashes.
Reuters, citing Pakistani security officials, reported that three militants targeted a Pakistani military camp. One attacker drove an explosive-laden vehicle into the camp’s boundary wall, while two others attempted to enter the facility but were shot dead by security forces.
Geo News, a Pakistani media outlet, reported that the attackers were linked to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), referred to by authorities as Fitna al-Khawarij. The outlet said the attempted breach was prevented by a “prompt and decisive” response, and no Pakistani security personnel were harmed.
The Pakistani military and officials have not issued a formal statement regarding the incident.
Violence in Pakistan’s border regions has surged since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Militant groups such as TTP and the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) have intensified attacks, frequently targeting security forces, checkpoints, and military installations in Waziristan and other frontier areas.
Relations between the former allies have reached their lowest level in recent months, with both sides engaging in multiple border clashes. Pakistan has carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan, claiming to target TTP militants, while the Taliban has retaliated by attacking Pakistani posts.
The latest major conflict erupted last week after the Taliban attacked several Pakistani security posts along the border, allegedly in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes in Kabul and Paktika provinces. The clashes continued for four consecutive days, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries, including among civilians, women, children, and journalists, before a 48-hour ceasefire was agreed upon on Wednesday.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that Islamabad is ready to engage in talks with the Taliban if the group accepts Pakistan’s conditions, adding that “the ball is in the Taliban’s court for a permanent ceasefire.”
