Clashes leave 16 dead along Afghanistan-Pakistan border

Pakistan claims a “large group of terrorists” stormed security outposts close to the Afghanistan border in northern Pakistan on Wednesday, prompting fierce clashes.

Four Pakistani soldiers were killed and 12 assailants died in the clashes at two separate outposts in the Kalash border valley, according to Pakistani officials.

The clashes took place when “a large group of terrorists equipped with the latest weapons, attacked two Pakistani military posts,” the military said.

Officials did not give any details about the insurgents, but suggested they have links to neighboring Afghanistan, Associated Press reported. The statement said Pakistan expects the Islamic Emirate government in Afghanistan “to fulfill its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by terrorists for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.”

According to a statement issued by the Pakistani military, soldiers repulsed the attack, noting the assailants were “equipped with [the] latest weapons.” It suggested that the militants had come across the border from Afghanistan.

The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, claimed responsibility for the raid earlier. The group said its fighters had inflicted heavy casualties on Pakistani soldiers and seized their weapons while overrunning the posts.

Pakistani officials say TTP and other insurgent groups have fled and taken shelter in Afghanistan.

However, the IEA denies the charges, saying no one can use Afghan soil to threaten other countries, including Pakistan.