Islamabad [Pakistan]: Ongoing violent incidents in Pakistan’s northwest, at least two Pakistani soldiers and nine militants were killed during raids by security forces targeting hideouts of an armed group. The raids took place on Saturday in the Mohmand and Dera Ismail Khan districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which border Afghanistan. The fighters involved were from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban.
TTP, a banned organization in Pakistan, is an ally of the Afghan Taliban, who regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021 following the U.S. and NATO troop withdrawal after two decades of war. Many TTP members have sought refuge in Afghanistan since the Taliban’s takeover, which has emboldened the Pakistani Taliban.
In a separate attack on Saturday, fighters ambushed security forces in the Kurram district, also near Afghanistan’s border. Local authorities have not confirmed any casualties from that ambush. The Pakistani military is actively engaged in operations in Kurram, a region that has seen long-standing violence between Sunni and Shia Muslim communities, contributing to tensions and casualties.
Kurram has been isolated since November due to sectarian violence, with authorities blocking key roads, leading to severe shortages of food and medicine, further worsening the humanitarian crisis. Additionally, a bomb exploded outside a mosque in Peshawar, killing a religious leader. The authorities have yet to identify the perpetrators, and an investigation is ongoing.