Three soldiers killed in gunbattle with militants in northwest Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Five militants and three Pakistani soldiers were killed in a gunfight in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the Pakistani military said on Monday.
The militants were trying to infiltrate the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the Bajaur district, when security forces picked up their movement, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
Pakistani troops effectively engaged the militants and thwarted their attempt to infiltrate the border. Four suspects were also injured during the gunfight that occurred in the intervening night of Sunday and Monday.
“Security Forces of Pakistan remain committed to secure its borders and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” the ISPR said in a statement.
The military noted that Pakistan had consistently been asking the interim Afghan government to ensure effective border management on their side, saying it expected Kabul to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil for “acts of terrorism” against Pakistan.
Islamabad often accuses Kabul of turning a blind eye to militants operating near the frontier, which the Afghan Taliban government denies.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in violence in recent years, mostly blamed on the outlawed Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. The group is allied with the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021.
But Monday’s statement by the military did not say whether the militants who attempted to cross the border were members of the TTP.