Pakistan: Clashes During Taliban Crackdown Leave Eight Soldiers, Civilian Dead

At least eight soldiers and one civilian were killed in separate attacks in Pakistan’s western region bordering Afghanistan on Friday, police officials told AFP. The incidents occurred during security operations targeting armed Taliban militants.

In the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, seven soldiers were killed when armed militants ambushed security forces during an operation, police sources reported on Saturday. “The militants, hiding inside a house, opened fire on security personnel,” the source stated.

The clash lasted for hours, prompting the deployment of military helicopters. Eight Taliban militants were killed in the operation, while six other soldiers sustained injuries.

In another incident, police official Mohsin Ali told AFP that separatist militants planted a bomb on a motorcycle in Balochistan’s southern region, killing one soldier and one civilian. Last month, militants had taken hundreds of train passengers hostage and killed several security personnel on duty.

A separate explosion occurred in Gwadar district, a strategically important area with Chinese infrastructure projects. The blast targeted a military vehicle, injuring three soldiers and a civilian.

Armed groups fighting against the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have carried out attacks that have claimed over 190 lives since the beginning of the year. The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), announced a “Spring Offensive” against security forces in mid-March.

According to Islamabad-based think tank Center for Research and Security Studies, 2023 was one of the deadliest years in nearly a decade, with over 1,600 people killed in militant attacks. The violence has primarily been concentrated in Pakistan’s border regions with Afghanistan.