Four soldiers slain in raid on Pakistani Taliban

Four soldiers were killed in a firefight with the Pakistani Taliban, the country’s army said on Friday, in the deadliest confrontation between the militants and security forces since a truce was called off earlier this month.

Security forces were raiding suspected hideouts in the town of Mir Ali in North Waziristan when four soldiers were killed “during an intense exchange of fire”, an army statement said.

One “terrorist” was apprehended with weapons and ammunition, it added.

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — a separate movement that shares common roots with the group that took power in Afghanistan in August — said the army raid was on a “centre” for its group.

The TTP claimed in a statement that seven soldiers had been killed in its counter attack on Wednesday night, while its fighters escaped unharmed.

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In a separate incident the army said on Friday that two men were killed in a clash in neighbouring Tank district in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The militants were involved in “terrorist activities against security forces, targeted killing and kidnapping for ransom”, a statement said.

But it failed on December 10, with the group accusing the government of violating the terms of the truce.