Army officers among seven soldiers killed in northwest Pakistan attack — military

PESHAWAR: Seven Pakistani soldiers, including two army officers, were killed in a militant attack in northwest Pakistan on Saturday, the Pakistani military said.
A group of militants attacked a security forces’ post in Mir Ali area of the restive North Waziristan district, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
The militants rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the post that led to the collapse of part of the security post building, killing five soldiers.
Pakistani troops effectively engaged the attackers and killed all of them in an ensuing clearance operation.
“However, during intense exchange of fire, leading his troops from the front, Lt. Col. Syed Kashif Ali (age: 39 years, resident of Karachi) and Captain Muhammad Ahmed Badar (age: 23 years, resident of District Talagang), having fought gallantly, paid the ultimate sacrifice and embraced martyrdom,” the ISPR said in a statement.
The military said a sanitization operation was being conducted to neutralize any threats present in the vicinity.
Pakistan’s northwestern and southwestern regions that border Afghanistan have witnessed a surge in militancy in recent years, particularly after the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a conglomerate of armed factions, called off a fragile ceasefire with the government in November 2022.
Last week, Pakistani forces killed 10 militants and injured three more in two separate operations in North Waziristan.
Pakistan says militants having sanctuaries in Afghanistan have been involved in attacks inside its territory. Kabul denies the use of its land by any militant group.