In an assault near the Afghanistan border, six Pakistani troops were killed.

According to a statement released by the Pakistani army, six Pakistani troops were killed in a skirmish with the Pakistan Taliban near the border with Afghanistan, and four armed militants belonging to the armed organization were also slain.

“On 22 August 2023, [a] fire exchange took place between own troops and terrorists in general area Asman Manza, South Waziristan District,” ISPR, the Pakistan Army’s media arm, said in a statement on Tuesday.
A total of “six brave soldiers having fought gallantly, embraced martyrdom after an intense exchange of fire” and “four terrorists were sent to hell, while two terrorists were injured” were verified.

The fighting, according to the army, occurred in North Waziristan.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Pakistani Taliban, blamed the assault on two military trucks that had been ambushed by its members.

Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan, visited Kabul last month and relayed Islamabad’s fears about cross-border strikes, according to Brigadier Saad Muhammad, a former Pakistani military officer who once served as a defense attache to Afghanistan.

“My view is that while Pakistan has listed down its grievances to the Afghan government due to cross-border militancy, the Afghan Taliban will need time to control the militants on their border,” Muhammad said in an interview with Al Jazeera.

It’s not something you can just flip on and off. Pakistan need to delay any action until at least December. If violent assaults on the other side of the border decrease, that’s excellent news for us.