Attack kills six Pakistani soldiers, raises tension with Afghanistan

"It comes as tension simmers along the border, threatening shaky truce between Islamabad and Kabul. An attack on a security checkpoint in northwest Pakistan has killed six soldiers, according to officials. An armed group stormed the checkpoint in the tribal district of Kurram in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province overnight on Monday-Tuesday, leading to a heavy exchange of fire, police and security sources said."

"The TTP, which has been fighting against Islamabad for nearly two decades, has increasingly launched attacks on Pakistan's border regions in recent years. Islamabad accuses the Taliban authorities that took power in Afghanistan in 2021 of sheltering the group. Kabul denies the charge and asserts that Pakistan's security is an internal issue. Hostilities erupted in October, when a week of fighting and shelling killed about 70 people and wounded hundreds."

An armed group stormed a security checkpoint in Kurram district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing six Pakistani security personnel, injuring four, and leaving two militants dead after heavy firefights. The Pakistan Taliban (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack, adding to repeated cross-border attacks that have strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Islamabad accuses the Taliban-run Afghan authorities of sheltering the TTP; Kabul rejects the accusation and calls Pakistan's security an internal matter. Officials signed a ceasefire after deadly October clashes following mediation by Qatar, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, but skirmishes continue amid Pakistan's accelerated expulsions of Afghan refugees and planned UN aid transits.

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