2 soldiers killed in gun battle with militants in Pakistan

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – At least two Pakistan Army troops were killed in an armed clash with suspected militants in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, the military said.

The gun battle took place on the outskirts of Dera Ismail Khan district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan and has long been a hotbed of militancy.

During an intense exchange of fire, according to a statement from the army’s media wing, two troops “having fought gallantly, embraced Shahadat (martyrdom).”

“Sanitization of the area is being carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the area,” the statement added.

Although no information on the attackers' affiliation was provided in the statement, the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a conglomerate of various militant outfits in the country, has long been involved in attacks on security forces in the adjoining South Waziristan district.

Following a series of security operations in the former tribal districts of South Waziristan and, in particular, North Waziristan, once dubbed the "heartland of militancy," in 2014, the group was pushed towards Afghanistan, where it is reportedly operating from bordering areas.

The South Asian country has seen a resurgence of militancy, mainly in bordering areas, following the recapture of Kabul by the Afghan Taliban in August last year.

In November of last year, the Pakistani government and the TTP reached a "complete" cease-fire brokered by the Afghan Taliban. However, there has been no lull in the alleged cross-border militant attacks on security forces.

Peace talks have taken place several times between Islamabad and the TTP since 2007, but have yielded no results.