Pakistani militants killed 16 soldiers in an early morning attack near the northwestern border with Afghanistan, when they opened fire on a security checkpoint in South Waziristan.
The deputy head of the regional police, Hidayat Ullah, told Radio Mashal that 16 members of the security forces were killed in the attack that took place two hours after midnight on December 21, and another eight were wounded.
The militant group Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which claimed responsibility for the attack, said 35 Pakistani soldiers had been killed. Radio Mashal could not independently confirm the number of those killed.
Neither side said how many militants were killed during the attack.
Since the Taliban retook control of Kabul in August 2021, TTP attacks have been on the rise in Pakistan's northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The TTP, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, seeks to impose Sharia law in Pakistan.
The latest attack came when Dre Maseda elders in the Sur Roga area of South Waziristan held a meeting on December 20, demanding that security forces change tactics.
Sherpao Mased, a leader of the assembly, told Radio Mashal that the Pakistani army is targeting militants with artillery and mortar shells, putting civilians at risk.
Pakistan's Center for Conflict and Security Studies said in its latest report that more than 240 people were killed in "terrorist incidents" in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in November.
68 members of the security forces were killed this month, making December the deadliest month of the year.
At the same time, the Pakistani army claims that they have killed dozens of militants this month in operations in this region.
Authorities in Khyber-Pantunhwa and Pakistan say they are committed to eliminating the TTP group.
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