Senior officer among 6 military personnel, 8 militants killed in clashes in northwestern Pakistan

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) – Six Pakistani military personnel, including an officer, and eight militants were killed in two separate clashes in northwestern Pakistan, the army said on Saturday.

A clash between security forces and militants took place in the Spinwam area of North Waziristan district near the Afghan border, killing six military personnel and six militants, according to a military statement.

"During the intense fire exchange, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Ali Shoukat, a brave officer who was leading his troops from the front, fought gallantly and embraced shahadat (martyrdom) along with his five men," it said.

In a separate statement, the military said forces carried out an operation in the Charbagh area of Swat district, killing two suspected militants and arresting another who was injured.

According to the statement, Atta Ullah, also known as Mehran, the so-called militant commander killed in the operation, was involved in a number of terrorist activities in the area, including a bomb attack on a police vehicle escorting a convoy of foreign dignitaries in Swat on Sept. 22.

In recent years, the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces bordering Afghanistan have seen an increase in suspected militant attacks.

Following recent attacks on forces in the Waziristan, Khyber, and Kurram districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan's military has increased intelligence-based operations in both provinces.

Islamabad accuses Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, who are allegedly based in Afghanistan, of carrying out terrorist attacks in Pakistan, while Kabul denies that such attacks are launched from its soil.