Islamabad, July 16 (EFE).- A group of heavily armed militants have attacked a military base in Pakistan’s troubled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, leaving at least eight soldiers dead, the army said on Tuesday.
According to a military statement, a group of 10 militants attempted to breach the base in Bannu city in the northwest province but were intercepted by security forces and killed in an ensuing gunfight.
“The attempt to enter the cantonment was thwarted by the security forces, which forced the terrorists to ram an explosive laden vehicle into perimeter wall of the cantonment,” the statement said.
As a result, a section of the wall collapsed, causing damage to adjacent infrastructure and resulting in the deaths of eight soldiers, the statement said.
Security forces swiftly retaliated, engaging the attackers in a gunfight that led to the deaths of the 10 militants.
“The effective response by the security forces prevented major catastrophe, saving precious innocent lives.” the statemet said.
The military identified the attackers as belonging to the Hafiz Gul Bahadur armed group, a faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) allegedly operating from Afghanistan.
It noted that the group has previously used Afghan territory to launch attacks inside Pakistan.
Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, Pakistan has experienced an increase in militant activities. Despite ideological alignment, the Pakistani Taliban and Afghan Taliban operate independently.
Pakistan has consistently raised its concerns with the Taliban government in Afghanistan, urging them to crackdown on militants who have taken shelter in the neighoring country.
“Pakistan armed forces will keep defending the motherland and its people against this menace of terrorism and will take all necessary measures as deemed appropriate against these threats emanating from Afghanistan,” the military statement said. EFE
aa-ssk