In a recent upsurge of violence in the north-west province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, clashes have led to the tragic loss of two Pakistani soldiers and the death of two armed insurgents, as confirmed by the Pakistani military.
In an official communique on Saturday, the Pakistani military elaborated, “Our troops engaged the terrorist faction effectively, resulting in the unfortunate martyrdom of two of our soldiers and the elimination of two terrorists.” Following the clash, the military’s media wing reported comprehensive sweep operations to neutralise any residual insurgents in the area.
Simultaneously, the province was rocked by a remote-controlled bomb detonation in the Bajaur area, which claimed two lives and left several others wounded, as per local media reports.
The province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been the hotspot for an escalation in armed conflicts, especially after unsuccessful peace negotiations between the Pakistani government and the Pakistani Taliban, a banned entity within the country. Islamabad has been persistently urging the Afghan government to exert influence over the Pakistani Taliban to cease their hostile activities against Pakistani forces.
Notably, the Afghan movement has made multiple attempts to broker peace talks between the conflicting parties, but these attempts have unfortunately resulted in failure.