Six Pakistani soldiers, including a high-ranking officer, died on Friday night in a clash with Islamist militants in the district of North Waziristan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan's military has said.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, the military said six of the militants were also killed.

Among the dead was Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Ali Shouka, who the military said was leading the troops during the clash.

Restive region near the Afghan border

The military did not mention any affiliation of the militants.

However, the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, formerly used the region as a base before they and other foreign militants were driven out in several operations by the Pakistani army.

The TPP are closely allied with the Afghan Taliban, who now rule neighboring Afghanistan after seizing power in 2021, and like them aim to impose a strict regime of Islamic law.

The takeover in Afghanistan has emboldened the TTP, who have stepped up operations in recent times. Over the years, the group has killed some 80,000 Pakistanis.

Islamabad claims that TTP now uses nearby Afghanistan as a base and says the ruling Taliban administration has been providing shelter to the group near the border, something the Afghan Taliban has denied.

In September, Pakistan's permanent representative to the United Nations, Munir Akram, warned the Security Council that the TTP could soon become the "spearhead of global terrorist goals," allying itself with groups such as al-Qaida.

tj/rm (Reuters, dpa)