7 Pak soldiers killed in suicide attack near Afghan border ahead of Doha talks
The recent attack in North Waziristan intensified tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan as both sides continued to blame each other for cross-border militant activity.
Seven Pakistani soldiers were killed and 13 others injured in a 'coordinated suicide attack' on a military camp in North Waziristan on Friday, Pakistani security officials said. The assault occurred hours before Islamabad and Kabul were set to hold peace talks in Doha.
According to officials, a militant drove an explosives-laden vehicle into the boundary wall of the Khaddi military camp in Mir Ali and two other attackers attempted to storm the facility but were shot dead. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility, saying its Khalid bin Waleed suicide unit and Tehreek Taliban Gulbahadar carried out the attacks.
Local sources reported that the Pakistani Army deployed attack helicopters as fierce clashes continued in the area. Officials described the assault as one of the most serious militant offensives in North Waziristan in recent months.
In a separate incident, a powerful explosion rocked the Mamund Tangi Shah area of Bajaur, reportedly from an explosives-laden vehicle parked along the roadside. No casualties have been confirmed, and security forces have cordoned off the site to investigate possible links to militant activity.
The attacks came amid escalating tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan following a Pakistani airstrike on Kabul last week. Both countries claimed to have inflicted heavy casualties on the other before agreeing to a temporary 48-hour ceasefire which will end at 1300 GMT on Friday.
Militant attacks have long strained Pakistan's ties with the Afghan Taliban, which regained control of Kabul after US-led forces withdrew in 2021. The latest tensions flared when Islamabad pressed Kabul to curb militants launching cross-border attacks from Afghan soil.
On Thursday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that Islamabad 'retaliated' after losing patience with Afghanistan over repeated militant attacks, but stressed that he remained open to dialogue to resolve the tensions.
The Taliban, however, rejected Sharif's allegations, accusing the Pakistani military of spreading false information, stoking border tensions, and harbouring ISIS-linked militants to destabilise Afghanistan.