Regional
Six Pakistani soldiers killed in TTP attack in Kurram District
Islamabad has accused TTP fighters of using Afghan territory to stage attacks inside Pakistan, a claim Kabul denies, insisting that Pakistan’s security problems are internal matters.
Six Pakistani soldiers were killed and four others injured when militants attacked a security checkpoint in northwest Pakistan’s Kurram district, officials confirmed on Tuesday. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the assault.
The attack took place in the Manato area late Monday afternoon, according to a police officer at the district’s emergency control room. A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that two militants were also killed during the exchange of fire.
Security forces later identified one of the dead militants as local TTP commander Usman Khyberi.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, as both sides struggle to maintain a fragile calm following deadly border clashes in October—the worst since the Islamic Emirate took control of Kabul in 2021.
Sporadic skirmishes have continued, including heavy exchanges of fire last week that left at least five people dead.
Islamabad has accused TTP fighters of using Afghan territory to stage attacks inside Pakistan, a claim Kabul denies, insisting that Pakistan’s security problems are internal matters.
Efforts to broker a lasting truce have so far failed. Three rounds of peace talks—facilitated by Qatar, Türkiye, and Saudi Arabia—have not produced a breakthrough.