Eight soldiers martyred in militant attacks in KP: officials

SLAMABAD: At least eight soldiers were martyred in separate militant attacks in in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday, security officials said.

Six soldiers were martyred when militants attacked a security forces post in the Shahi Kot area of Upper Dir late Friday night.

The military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), has not confirmed the incidents.

The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attacks, which came amid recent clashes between militants and security forces.

Locals have also joined troops and police in operations against the militants.

Journalist Aqeel Yousafzai, quoting security sources, said that more than 10 militants have been killed during the ongoing operation in Upper Dir.

Earlier, a suicide bomber targeted the gate of a security forces headquarters in Tirah Valley, Khyber district, wounding several personnel. Two were reported in critical condition.

The attack was claimed by the Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan (IMP), a coalition of three militant outfits formed earlier this year, including the groups of Hafiz Gul Bahadur, Lashkar-e-Islam and Inqilab-e-Islami Pakistan.

In another incident, a Frontier Corps soldier, Aziz Chitrali, was martyred when his post at Shin Kandawo, near the Afghan border, came under fire. Pakistani forces returned fire towards the Afghan side.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq dar told reporters in Islamabad that Pakistan had asked Afghan Taliban leaders during recent talks in Kabul to act against the TTP, prevent it from using Afghan soil and hand over its members.

He said China also raised similar concerns over the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM).

Pakistan, China and Afghanistan met in Kabul on August 20 for a trilateral meeting, but no joint statement was issued, reportedly due to differences over the TTP, ETIM and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).