7 killed in attacks on Pakistani security forces near Afghan border

Islamabad: At least seven members of the Pakistani security forces were killed in two separate attacks near the Afghan border, the military said on Sunday.

In the first attack, according to the military, an improvised explosive device targeted a vehicle of a bomb disposal squad in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan province on Saturday. Following the blast, the militants opened fire.

Five members of the security forces were killed and two wounded.

In the second attack, militants stormed a checkpoint in the Mir Ali region and killed two soldiers.

Pakistan has seen an increase in attacks by the Pakistani Taliban since their Afghan counterparts seized power in Afghanistan in 2021.

The latest attacks come days after militants exploded a bomb in a girls’ school in North Waziristan, itself a region known as a hotbed of Islamist militant activity.