Seven Pakistani soldiers were killed in a suicide bomb attack near the Afghanistan border as reports emerged that a temporary truce that paused days of intense fighting between the neighbouring countries had been extended.
The seven soldiers were killed in an attack on Friday by militants on a Pakistani military camp in north Waziristan, which also left 13 injured, five security officials said.
They said one militant rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the boundary wall of a fort that served as a military camp, while two others tried to get into the facility and were shot dead.
Six militants were killed in the suicide attack, the office of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement, without providing details on the number of soldiers killed.
Pakistan's army did not respond to a request for comment.
Dozens of people were killed and hundreds of others were injured in fierce ground fighting between the countries that broke out this week.
Pakistan also launched air strikes across the contested frontier before a 48-hour truce was agreed to.
That peace deal ended on Friday, but Pakistan security officials and a Taliban source told Reuters the agreement had been extended until the conclusion of planned talks in Qatar this weekend.
Militant tensions spark fighting
The latest conflict between the two countries was triggered after Islamabad demanded that Kabul rein in militants who had stepped up attacks in Pakistan, saying they operated from havens in Afghanistan.
Mr Sharif said on Thursday that Pakistan "retaliated" as it lost patience with Afghanistan after a series of militant attacks, but was ready to hold talks to resolve the conflict.
Militant violence in Pakistan has been a major irritant in its relationship with the Afghan Taliban, which returned to power in Kabul after the departure of US-led forces in 2021.
The Taliban denies the charge and accuses the Pakistani military of spreading misinformation about Afghanistan, provoking border tensions, and sheltering ISIS-linked militants to undermine its stability and sovereignty.
Islamabad denies the accusations.
On Friday, the Pakistan Red Crescent said Afghanistan had handed over to it the bodies of seven Pakistanis, two security personnel and five civilians, who were killed during clashes earlier in the week.
Although the Islamic nations have clashed in the past, the fighting this month is their worst in decades.
It has drawn the attention of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, who have mediated and sought to stop the fighting.
US President Donald Trump has said he can help resolve the conflict.
Reuters/ABC
