Armed militants attacked a military outpost at dawn in Pakistan, killing 16 soldiers, AFP and other agencies reported on the 21st (local time).
Officials from the Pakistan military and police stated that over 30 armed militants attacked a military outpost in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern Pakistan for about two hours starting just after midnight.
During the attack, 16 soldiers were shot dead and 8 others are in critical condition due to gunshot wounds.
The militants also set fire to communication equipment and documents at the outpost.
The terrorist group Pakistan Taliban (TTP) claimed in a statement that the attack was a retaliatory strike in response to the killing of TTP regional commanders by the military.
A Pakistan intelligence official told AFP, "This attack is the most dangerous incident to have occurred in this region so far this year."
The military authorities have not issued a statement regarding the attack.
In Pakistan, attacks by the TTP, the Pakistani branch of the Taliban, have increased since the Taliban regained power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021.
According to the civilian research institute 'Center for Research and Security Studies' (CRSS) in Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, over 1,500 people including soldiers, civilians, and militants were killed by terrorist groups across Pakistan last year. This death toll was the highest in six years.
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