KARACHI, Pakistan

The Pakistani Army on Sunday claimed to have killed seven suspected militants and injured six others in an "exchange of fire" in northwest Pakistan.

The clash took place in the Chitral district of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders neighboring Afghanistan, the military said in a statement on Sunday.

"On Sep. 9, (a) fire exchange took place between security forces and terrorists in general area Ursoon, Chitral district. Own troops effectively engaged terrorists location and after intense exchange of fire, seven terrorists were killed, while another six were critically injured," the statement said.

The latest clash took place days after the killing of four Pakistani soldiers in a "cross-border" attack in mountainous Chitral, which has become a fresh target of the militants loyal to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The TTP, the mother network of several Pakistani militant groups, last week claimed it had "captured" several villages in the district. The claim that could not be independently verified was rejected by the government.

Pakistan has seen a surge in terrorist attacks since the recapture of Kabul by the Taliban in August 2021.

Islamabad accuses Kabul of not acting against the TTP that has allegedly been using Afghan soil to carry out attacks in Pakistan.

Afghanistan, however, rebuffs the accusation.