7 suspected militants, 2 soldiers killed in clash in NW Pakistan

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - At least seven suspected militants and two Pakistani soldiers were killed on Sunday amid a clash in the restive North Waziristan tribal region, the country's military said.

The clashes, the latest in a recent string of similar incidents, took place in the Ghulam Khan area located near the Afghan border, the army said in a statement.

This come on the heels of an open-ended cease-fire between Pakistani security forces and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a combination of several militant groups operating in Pakistan, earlier this month.

Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid also confirmed that the two sides had agreed on the "indefinite" truce during the latest round of peace talks held in Afghanistan's capital Kabul last week.

The army's statement did not elaborate on the affiliation of the killed militants. However, they reportedly belonged to a dissident faction of the TTP, which rejected the cease-fire and peace talks.

They "remained actively involved in several terrorist activities against (the) security forces," the statement said.

Formally established in June 2007, the TTP has been involved in numerous attacks, including suicide bombings inside Pakistan.

The network later stepped up subversive activities in North Waziristan -- once dubbed the heartland of militancy -- following an army onslaught on South Waziristan in 2010.

Another large-scale army operation in 2014 pushed the TTP to neighboring Afghanistan. Islamabad claims the terrorist network has now set up bases across the border to attack Pakistani security forces.