Nineteen Pakistani soldiers were killed on Saturday in two separate clashes with extremist fighters in the country's northwest, where militants have ramped up attacks on security forces since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, the army said.
In the first incident, soldiers moving in a vehicle convoy came under fire in the mountainous Badar area of South Waziristan near the border with Afghanistan.
Pakistan's military said in a statement that 12 soldiers and 13 militants were killed "after an intense exchange of fire.”
At least four people were injured, security officials said.
The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility, saying it had also captured weapons and drones from the soldiers.
Residents said they saw helicopters in the air for hours after the early morning attack, taking the casualties to hospital and searching for the attackers.
In another clash in the Lower Dir area, seven soldiers and 10 insurgents were killed in a shootout after troops discovered a militant hideout, the army said in a separate statement.
Islamabad alleges that the Pakistani Taliban is being harbored by the Afghan Taliban administration with the support of India, a source of tension with Kabul and New Delhi, which both deny the charge. The group is inspired by the Afghan Taliban.
The Pakistani group has stepped up attacks, targeting Pakistani security forces since the Afghan Taliban swept to power in 2021.
"Pakistan expects the interim Afghan Government to uphold its responsibilities and deny use of its soil for terrorists' activities against Pakistan," Pakistan's military said.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other officials praised the security forces for killing dozens of militants, and lauded the troops for sacrificing their lives in the fight against terrorism, according to state-run media.
It said Sharif and the army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, attended the mass funerals of the soldiers. They also visited troops wounded in the clashes at a military hospital in the northwestern city of Bannu.
According to state-media, Sharif said that the country desires peaceful relations with all of its neighbors, including Afghanistan. But he asked the Taliban government to “make a clear choice” between maintaining friendly ties with Pakistan or continuing to harbor the Pakistani Taliban.
