2 Pakistan army troops, 7 suspected militants killed in clashes

KARACHI, Pakistan

Two Pakistan Army soldiers and seven suspected militants were killed in separate clashes in the country's northwest province on Tuesday.

A group of suspected terrorists fired on a military convoy in the Hassan Khel area of the Lakki Marwat district in northwestern Kyber Pakhtunkhwa, prompting an immediate response by the troops, according to a statement issued by the Pakistan Army's media wing.

Two army troops and three suspected militants were killed during the "intense" exchange of fire, said the Inter-Services Public Relations.

Another four suspected militants were killed in a separate clash with the army in the province's Tank district, which borders the restive South Waziristan tribal district, the statement said.

“The killed terrorists remained actively involved in terrorist activities against the security forces,” it added.

Although, there was no word on the affiliation of the deceased, the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a conglomerate of different militant outfits in the country, has long been involved in attacks on security forces in the two districts.

Following a series of security operations in the former tribal districts of South Waziristan and in particular North Waziristan, once dubbed the "heartland of militancy," in 2014, the group was pushed towards Afghanistan, reportedly operating from bordering areas in the neighboring country.

The South Asian country has seen a resurgence of militancy, mainly in bordering areas following the recapture of Kabul by the Afghan Taliban in August last year.

The Pakistan government and the TTP had reached a “complete” cease-fire brokered by the Afghan Taliban in November last year. However, there has been no lull in the militant attacks on the security forces allegedly from across the border.

Peace talks between Islamabad and the TTP have taken place several times since 2007, but have so far produced no results.