DERA ISMIAL KHAN, Pakistan—At least 10 soldiers have been killed in separate attacks within hours on Pakistan security forces.
A military vehicle was ambushed and six soldiers killed in the country’s mountainous northern areas bordering Afghanistan on Saturday, July 27.
The military said in a statement that “terrorists from across the border” fired on a patrol near Gurbaz in the North Wazirstan region.
The attack came after four paramilitary officials patrolling in the restive southwestern Baluchistan province were killed on Friday, July 26, in an ambush by unidentified militants, the military said.
Saturday’s ambush was claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, which is separate from the insurgent movement across the border in Afghanistan. No group has claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack.
“These are dying efforts of inimical forces while Pakistan moves from stability to enduring peace. It’s time for the world to facilitate regional peace,” the Pakistan military’s spokesman Maj. General Asif Ghafoor said on Twitter.
“Salute to martyrs & families.We shall ensure defence & security of motherland at the cost of our sweat & blood.These are dying efforts of frustrated inimical forces while Pakistan moves from stability to enduring peace. It’s time for the world to facilitate regional peace”,COAS.
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) July 27, 2019
Pakistan and Afghanistan routinely accuse each other of harboring terrorist groups that carry out attacks across the border.
Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of supporting the Taliban, a charge Pakistan denies, saying it has suffered heavily from the fighting.
The two attacks come days after a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan which focused on Pakistan’s role in helping to broker a political settlement to end the nearly 18-year-old U.S. war in Afghanistan.
Pakistani forces have conducted a series of operations against terrorist groups including the Pakistani Taliban in the region North Waziristan over recent years. While officials say the area has largely been pacified, small scale attacks continue to take place.
“I salute our armed forces personnel who continue to lay down their lives fighting terrorists to keep the nation safe,” Khan said in a posting on Twitter.
I salute our armed forces personnel who continue to lay down their lives fighting terrorists to keep the nation safe. My condolences & prayers go to the families of the10 brave soldiers, including an officer, martyred fighting terrorists in North Waziristan & Balochistan today.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) July 27, 2019
By Saud Mehsud
