Six Pakistani security personnel killed in separate attack | Conflict News

There were three separate attacks in the western provinces of the country, including two attacks on security posts.

Islamabad, Pakistan – The Pakistani military stated that at least six Pakistani security personnel were killed in three attacks in the country’s western provinces, including two attacks on security posts. This is the latest in a surge in violence against the South Asian national security forces .

The military news agency said in a statement that at least four security personnel were attacked by an improvised explosive device late on Wednesday night in the Bajaur district in the northwest. The target was security forces conducting search operations in the area.

The statement said that two of the victims were members of the paramilitary border forces, and the other two were police officers.

The Bajaur District is part of the former Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA), a group of areas along the border between Northwest Pakistan and Afghanistan, where the Pakistani military conducted a protracted battle with the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and its allies. battle. Established in 2007.

Pakistani army patrols along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border at the main post in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province [File: Aamir Qureshi/AFP]

In 2021, there was another attack against security forces and civilians in the area. Unidentified attackers attacked security checkpoints, detonated improvised explosive devices near patrols, or carried out targeted attacks on civilians.

The military said in a separate statement on Wednesday that the attackers targeted a security checkpoint and killed a 26-year-old soldier in the Thar area of ​​Hangu District, about 180 kilometers (112 miles) south of Bajaur. .

The Interservice Public Relations Department (ISPR), the military news department, stated: “The troops responded quickly and effectively engaged terrorists.”

No organization immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

The military said in a separate statement that on Wednesday, a soldier was killed in a “fire raid” on a security checkpoint in the southwestern district of Ketchi, Balochistan.

No organization immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Balochistan has witnessed the armed separatist movement of Balochistan targeting security forces and civilians for more than 10 years.

Asad Hashim is a digital correspondent for Al Jazeera in Pakistan. He tweeted @AsadHashim.