KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – At least six Pakistani soldiers, including a captain, and seven Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants were killed on Wednesday in an operation near the Afghanistan border, the military said.
In a statement on X, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the clashes took place in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during an “intelligence-based operation” aimed at eliminating what it described as “Indian-sponsored Khawarij,” a term used by Islamabad to refer to the TTP.
The military said operations would continue “at full pace” to eradicate what it called “foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism” from the country.
Three days earlier, at least five Pakistani soldiers and 25 TTP militants were killed in a similar operation in the same region, according to ISPR.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, with most incidents concentrated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Islamabad accuses the Taliban of harboring TTP fighters across the border, a claim Kabul denies.
The latest clashes come amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban after talks in Istanbul, mediated by Qatar and Turkey, failed to ease friction over the TTP issue.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif recently warned the Taliban of “complete destruction” if they failed to curb cross-border attacks, saying Pakistan could force them to “flee back to the Tora Bora caves.”
