Attack kills six Pakistani soldiers, raises tension with Afghanistan

It comes arsenic hostility simmers on the border, threatening shaky truce betwixt Islamabad and Kabul.

An onslaught connected a information checkpoint successful northwest Pakistan has killed six soldiers, according to officials.

An equipped radical stormed the checkpoint successful the tribal territory of Kurram successful Khyber Pakhtunkhwa state overnight connected Monday-Tuesday, starring to a dense speech of fire, constabulary and information sources said.

The onslaught comes arsenic hostility simmers on the borderline betwixt Pakistan and Afghanistan and threatens to widen a bid of skirmishes successful caller weeks that has killed dozens.

The Pakistan Taliban, oregon TTP, has claimed work for the attack, according to the AFP quality agency.

“Six information unit were martyred and 4 were injured, portion 2 militants were besides killed successful the fighting,” an unnamed authorities authoritative told AFP.

Shaky ceasefire

The TTP, which has been warring against Islamabad for astir 2 decades, has progressively launched attacks connected Pakistan’s borderline regions successful caller years. Islamabad accuses the Taliban authorities that took powerfulness successful Afghanistan successful 2021 of sheltering the group.

Kabul denies the complaint and asserts that Pakistan’s information is an interior issue.

Hostilities erupted successful October, erstwhile a week of warring and shelling killed astir 70 radical and wounded hundreds.

Afghan and Pakistani officials signed a ceasefire agreement pursuing mediation by Qatar, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia. However, hostility remains high, and skirmishes person continued to interruption retired arsenic the cross-border attacks person persisted.

On Friday, an exchange of gunfire and shelling astatine a borderline crossing killed 4 civilians and a soldier, according to Afghanistan.

The hostility has besides been provoked and stirred by issues distant from the battlefield. Pakistan has accelerated a mass expulsion of immoderate of the millions of Afghan refugees it hosted.

However, Islamabad said past week that it would soon commencement allowing United Nations assistance to walk done to Afghanistan.