Roadside bomb kills 6 soldiers in Pakistan as troops kill 10 militants in multiple raids

ISLAMABAD — A roadside bomb struck a security forces convoy in northwestern Pakistan, killing six soldiers, while government troops conducted raids resulting in the deaths of militants believed to be members of the Pakistani Taliban, the military and local police said Friday.

The bombing occurred Thursday in Hangu, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials said.

Security forces killed 10 militants Thursday during multiple intelligence-based operations on suspected hideouts in the North Waziristan and Hangu districts, the military said in a statement.

Pakistani soldiers have been killed in previous attacks this year. Three troops from the country’s Rangers force were killed and four others wounded during fighting with militants in June.

The military described the deceased militants as “Khawarij,” a term the government uses for members of the Pakistani Taliban, formally known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. The TTP is separate but allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban, which returned to power in 2021.

Pakistan frequently accuses the neighboring Taliban government of turning a blind eye to cross-border militant attacks and sheltering the TTP. The government in Afghanistan's capital Kabul has repeatedly denied the allegations.