A deadly confrontation near the Pak-Afghan border in the Bajaur tribal district of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province resulted in the deaths of five insurgents and three Pakistani soldiers, according to a statement released by the Pakistan military on Monday.
The military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), reported that the clash occurred when a group of armed militants attempted to cross into Pakistan from Afghanistan late Sunday night. The security forces responded to the incursion, engaging in a fierce exchange of gunfire that left five insurgents dead and four others wounded. The military confirmed that three Pakistani soldiers also lost their lives in the encounter.
In its statement, the Pakistan military reiterated its calls for the Afghan government to ensure robust security measures along the shared border, emphasizing the need for Afghanistan to prevent its territory from being used by terrorist groups targeting Pakistan.
The insurgents involved were referred to as “miscreants” by the Pakistani military, a term often associated with the Taliban in Afghanistan. However, in this context, it is primarily the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an anti-government militant group, that is involved in such cross-border hostilities.
Pakistan has long accused militant groups, including the TTP, of finding refuge in Afghanistan—a claim consistently denied by Afghan authorities. The TTP, on the other hand, maintains that it operates within Pakistan and does not require Afghan territory to carry out its activities.
Officials from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan have repeatedly asserted that they do not permit Afghan soil to be used for attacks against neighboring countries and have taken measures to prevent such occurrences.
