19 Pakistani soldiers killed in firefights with Pakistani Taliban

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — A soldier stands guard outside the Kitton outpost along the border fence on the border with Afghanistan in North Waziristan, Pakistan October 18, 2017. REUTERS/Caren Firouz

By Mushtaq Ali

PESHAWAR, Pakistan -     Nineteen Pakistani soldiers were killed on Saturday in two separate clashes with Islamist fighters in the country's northwest, where militants have ramped up attacks on security forces since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, the army said. 

In the first incident, soldiers moving in a vehicle convoy came under fire in the mountainous Badar area of South Waziristan near the border with Afghanistan.

Pakistan's military said in a statement that 12 soldiers and 13 militants were killed "after an intense exchange of fire". 

At least four people were injured, security officials said. 

The Pakistani Taliban, a jihadist group that Islamabad says is based in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility, saying it had also captured weapons and drones from the soldiers. 

Residents said they saw helicopters in the air for hours after the early morning attack, taking the casualties to hospital and searching for the attackers. 

In another clash in the Lower Dir area, seven soldiers and 10 insurgents were killed in a shootout after troops discovered a militant hideout, the army said in a separate statement.

Islamabad alleges that the Pakistani Taliban is being harboured by the Afghan Taliban administration with the support of India, a source of tension with Kabul and New Delhi, which both deny the charge. The group is inspired by the Afghan Taliban.

The Pakistani group has stepped up attacks, targeting Pakistani security forces since the Afghan Taliban swept to power in 2021. 

"Pakistan expects the interim Afghan Government to uphold its responsibilities and deny use of its soil for terrorists' activities against Pakistan," Pakistan's military said. 

 (Reporting by Mushtaq Ali in Peshawar; Writing by Saeed Shah; Editing by William Mallard and Joe Bavier // REUTERS)