Photo: AFP
Four Pakistani soldiers and five militants were killed in a clash in the country's northwest, according to a military statement issued on Thursday. The recent violence occurred on Wednesday in the South Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.
"During the intense exchange of fire, four brave soldiers... having fought valiantly, embraced Shahadat (martyrdom)," the statement read. Additionally, five militants were killed in the confrontation, the statement noted.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed "grief and sorrow" over the soldiers' deaths, as stated by his office. "Our fight against terrorists will persist until the complete eradication of terrorism from the country," the statement emphasized.
This incident follows the killing of ten Pakistani police officers in an attack last month on a security checkpoint, which was claimed by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the country's indigenous Taliban group. Pakistan has been grappling with a resurgence of militant violence in its western regions since 2021, coinciding with the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan. Islamabad has accused Kabul's rulers of not doing enough to eliminate militants who conduct attacks on Pakistan from across the border.
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