Two Pakistani Soldiers, Nine Militants Killed In North Waziristan Clash

Pakistani military officials say at least two soldiers from Pakistan’s army and nine militants were killed in a gun battle late on April 25 near the border with Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations, the military’s media wing, said on April 26 that five Pakistani soldiers also were injured in the clash that took place in the volatile tribal region of North Waziristan.

It did not identify which militant group the gunmen were thought to be linked to.

According to Pakistani officials, security forces captured what they described as “an accomplice” of the militants and seized “a large cache” of weapons and explosives from a hideout used by the militants in North Waziristan.

Terrorists linked to Al-Qaeda, the Haqqani network of the Afghan Taliban, and Pakistani militants have all been active in the region during the past decade.

The Pakistani military managed to push militants out of their border-region strongholds through a series of offensives since 2014. But militants continue to stage surprise attacks there.

The latest clash was the fifth between security forces and militants in the area within the past month.

That has reinforced concerns that the militants may be trying to regroup in their former strongholds in Pakistan.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and dpa