Pakistan: Six soldiers killed in Kurram explosion; days after failed truce talks with Afghanistan

At least six Pakistani soldiers, including a captain, were killed on Wednesday in an explosion targeting a military convoy in the Kurram District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed. Seven militants were also killed during the ensuing gunbattle, the military added.

The incident occurred when the convoy came under fire while moving through the Sultani area, bordering Afghanistan. An improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near Dogar, resulting in heavy casualties.

Cross-border militancy has surged in Pakistan since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2021, with numerous attacks targeting security forces, police, and law enforcement personnel.

Earlier this week, Pakistani forces foiled two infiltration attempts from Afghanistan, killing 25 militants, including four suicide bombers, and seizing weapons caches in North Waziristan and Kurram. Pakistan’s defense minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif warned the Afghan Taliban that any further attacks on Pakistani soil would provoke a strong response. Talks in Istanbul this week to secure a peace agreement between the two countries ended inconclusively, with both sides blaming each other for stalled negotiations.

Despite the failed talks, a ceasefire along the border remains in effect, although all major crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan are closed, leaving traders and refugees stranded.