Cross-border attack from Afghanistan leaves two soldiers dead

ISLAMABAD: Militants in Afghanistan fired across the border at a security checkpoint in North Waziristan, leaving two soldiers dead, the Inter-Services Public Relations said Wednesday.

The cross-border firefight took place in the Dwa Toi area of North Waziristan district, the military’s media wing said in a statement. It did not say when the attack occurred but said troops responded to the fire in a “befitting manner”, without elaborating.

During the exchange of fire, two soldiers — 35-year-old Lance Naik Pervaiz and 43-year-old Havaldar Saleem — embraced martyrdom, the statement said.

It was unclear whether there were any militant casualties.

In its statement, the ISPR condemned the continued “use of Afghan soil for terrorist activities against” Pakistan and its security agencies, saying Islamabad had consistently asked Kabul to ensure effective border control on its side.

Isolated militant attacks on troops and such cross-border violence have intensified in recent months, raising fears the proscribed Afghanistan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan was regrouping in the border region of the war-torn country.

The TTP is a separate insurgent group from the Afghan Taliban.