Six soldiers killed in IED blast in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Peshawar: At least six soldiers, including a Captain, were killed in an IED blast targeting a convoy of the security forces in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said.

The convoy came under attack in Sultani area in the restive Kurram tribal district bordering Afghanistan. In the ensuing gunbattle, seven terrorists were killed.

The terrorists opened fire on the convoy while it was moving through the area. During the engagement, an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near Dogar, causing heavy casualties.

As a result of the blast, one officer and five soldiers were killed.

Security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to trace the perpetrators.

Pakistan has seen a surge in terrorist attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, mostly targeting police, law enforcement personnel and security forces.

The spike followed the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s breach of a ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022.

On Sunday, security forces foiled two major terrorist infiltration attempts from Afghanistan, killing 25 militants, including four suicide bombers, and seizing a large cache of weapons and explosives in separate operations in North Waziristan and Kurram districts, according to the ISPR.