PESHAWAR: At least six Pakistani soldiers and six militants were killed in a suicide attack near the country’s border with Afghanistan, a police official said on Friday, amid a fragile ceasefire between Islamabad and Kabul that paused days of intense fighting between the two countries this month.
The South Asian neighbors engaged in fierce ground fighting, and Pakistan also launched airstrikes across their contested frontier, killing dozens and wounding hundreds, before they reached a 48-hour truce that is due to end at 1300 GMT on Friday.
The soldiers were killed after one of the militants rammed an explosives-laden car into the Khadi fort that served as a military camp in the North Waziristan district, followed by an intense gunbattle between the two sides.
“Security forces swiftly responded, repelling the attack and engaging the terrorists in a fierce battle. Sadly, six security personnel were martyred and over a dozen others sustained injuries,” Meraj Khan, an officer at the Mir Ali police control room, told Arab News.
“Security forces managed to kill six terrorists during the confrontation.”
Khan said the area has been cordoned off and a clearance operation is currently underway to eliminate any potential threats. Pakistan’s army did not immediately comment on the attack.
Militant violence in Pakistan has been a major irritant in its relations with Afghanistan, since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul after the departure of US-led forces in 2021.
Pakistani security forces have killed 88 Pakistani Taliban militants in separate engagements in the last two days, Pakistani state media reported on Friday.
The latest conflict between the two countries was triggered after Islamabad demanded Kabul rein in militants who had stepped up attacks in Pakistan, saying they operated from havens in Afghanistan.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that Pakistan “retaliated” as it lost patience with Afghanistan following a series of militant attacks, but was ready to hold talks to resolve the conflict.
Kabul denies the charge and accuses the Pakistani military of spreading misinformation about Afghanistan, provoking border tensions, and sheltering Daesh-linked militants to undermine its stability and sovereignty.
Islamabad denies the accusations.
Although the two countries have clashed in the past, the fighting this month is their worst in decades. It has drawn the attention of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, who have mediated and sought to stop the fighting.
