Article author:
Associated Press
Islamabad (AP) — A gun battle between Pakistani soldiers and militants in northwestern Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan killed two soldiers and seven militants, military said. rice field.
According to a military statement, the exchange took place on Sunday in Ghulam Khan, a border town in North Waziristan, a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This area along the Afghan border is the former home of the Taliban and other militant groups in Pakistan.
The army did not reveal any further details.
Concerns about the outlook for ongoing negotiations between the Islamabad government and the Pakistani Taliban due to recent increases in attacks on Pakistani troops and troop attacks on extremist hideouts. Is increasing.
The talks are hosted by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Both sides have agreed to a ceasefire in May, but that is still going on. The Taliban in Afghanistan, which took control of the country last August, urged both sides to give them a chance for peace.
For many years, North Waziristan and its surroundings were extremist sanctuaries until a major military operation in 2014. The military said it had wiped out the area, but militants can still launch sporadic attacks.
The outlawed Pakistani Taliban (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP known as the group) claims most attacks. For years, the TTP, which has an alliance with the Taliban in Afghanistan, has used Afghanistan's rugged border areas for staging hideouts and cross-border attacks on Pakistan. The takeover of the Taliban in Afghanistan has made the group bold.
