Six Pakistani soldiers, 22 militants killed in clashes near Afghan border, army says

Six Pakistani soldiers and 22 militants were killed in armed clashes in a northwestern region near the Afghan border on Saturday, the army said, as extremist fighters increase their attacks on security forces in the area.

The firefights took place in three districts after soldiers conducted intelligence-based operations in Waziristan and its adjoining regions, the army statement said.

The Pakistan Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), said its fighters had killed the soldiers by storming a security checkpoint. It did not say how many militants had died in the clashes.

The TTP has accelerated its attacks in recent months, mostly targeting members of the security forces.

An umbrella group of various extremist militant groups, the TTP has long been fighting in a bid to overthrow the government and replace it with an extremist system of governance.

It is separate from the Afghan Taliban movement, but pledges loyalty to the group that now rules Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US-led international forces from the country in 2021.