Sixteen Pakistani soldiers were killed and five critically injured on Saturday after militants attacked an army post near the Afghan border.
The attack happened overnight in the Makeen area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, roughly 24 miles from the border.
More than 30 militants assaulted the post, according to two intelligence officials who spoke to AFP (anonymously). The attack lasted two hours. “The militants set fire to the wireless communication equipment, documents and other items present at the checkpoint,” one official said. The militants then retreated.
The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility, stating the attack was “in retaliation for the martyrdom of our senior commanders.”
Meanwhile, in another attack on Pakistan military, 25 people have been sentenced to periods of two to 10 years of "rigorous imprisonment" in connection with attacks on the Pakistan military in May 2023, the military's media wing announced on Saturday. "This is an important milestone in dispensation of justice to the nation," the Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement. "It is also a stark reminder to all those who are exploited by the vested interests and fall prey to their political propaganda and intoxicating lies, to never take law in own hands ever in the future."