AFGHAN BORDER

Militants in Pakistan kill six soldiers

REUTERS, Peshawar

Islamist militants killed six Pakistani soldiers in an exchange of fire with the military in a northwestern tribal district bordering Afghanistan, the army said yesterday.

The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella group of several Sunni Muslim militant groups, claimed responsibility.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed condolences to the grieved families. “No matter how long the battle, our valiant armed forces, with the support of the nation, will root out terrorism in its entirety,” he said in a statement.

The bloodshed came after Pakistan declared a new offensive against militants following a resurgence of attacks, including a mosque bombing that killed more than 100 people in February.

Islamabad says the militants, who want to establish a hardline version of sharia (Islamic law) in Pakistan, enjoy safe haven in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan to plan and execute the attacks, a charge Kabul denies.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, foreign minister of Afghanistan’s Taliban administration, was due toarrive in Islamabad yesterday for meetings with his Pakistani and Chinese counterparts.

“A fire exchange took place between terrorists and our own troops,” the army said in a statement describing yesterday’s incident in North Waziristan, which has long been a hotbed of militants operating on both sides of the border.

It said three militants were also killed when the army engaged them, adding that it was searching the area to determine if any more attackers were in hiding.