PM promises to root out militancy after attack kills six soldiers in Pakistan’s northwest

In this photo taken on October 18, 2017, Pakistani soldiers keep vigil next to fencing along the Afghan border at Kitton Orchard Post in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal agency. (Photo courtesy: AFP/ FILE)

• Pakistan has seen rise in attacks in recent weeks which it blames on militants operating from Afghanistan
• Afghan Taliban say they do not allow Afghanistan’s territory to be used by militants against other nations

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday promised to root out militancy from Pakistan, his office said, hours after a militant attack killed six soldiers in the country’s restive northwest.
Militants opened fire on a security post in the South Waziristan district of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, killing six soldiers. The retaliatory fire killed five attackers, according to Pakistan’s military. Seven other militants were killed while infiltrating the border in the North Waziristan district.
Pakistan has seen a rise in militant attacks in recent weeks, with many of them taking place in KP that borders Afghanistan where Islamabad says groups like the outlawed Pakistani Taliban are hiding and from where they daily target police and security forces.
In a statement issued from his office, PM Sharif paid a tribute to Pakistani security forces for successful operations against militants in North and South Waziristan districts of the KP province.
“The sacrifices of our soldiers will never go in vain,” he said. “Our war against terrorists will continue till the complete elimination of terrorism from the country.”
Islamabad says militants mainly associated with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) frequently launch attacks from Afghanistan and has even blamed Kabul’s Afghan Taliban rulers for facilitating anti-Pakistan groups. Kabul denies the charges.
On Wednesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the international body was “particularly worried” about the penetration of militants from Afghanistan into Pakistan, calling on Kabul not to allow its soil to be used by terror groups.
“We are particularly worried… when we look into the neighboring countries, we are particularly worried with the fact that there is a penetration of terrorists from Afghanistan into Pakistan and that that is creating, of course, many innocent victims and being a threat to Pakistani security,” Guterres told reporters in response to a question about what the UN planned to do about militants using safe havens in Afghanistan to launch attacks in Pakistan.
“So, one of the things that is absolutely essential is that Afghanistan controls its territory and doesn’t allow terrorist groups from any other country to operate from Afghanistan.”