Four Pakistan soldiers killed in clash with militants: Military

Four Pakistani soldiers and five militants were killed in a clash in the country's northwest, the military said in a statement on Thursday.

The latest violence took place on Wednesday in the South Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that shares a border with Afghanistan.

"During the intense fire exchange, four brave sons of soil... having fought gallantly, embraced Shahadat (martyrdom)", the statement said.

Five militants were also killed in the clash, it added.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed "grief and sorrow" over the killing of the soldiers, his office said in a statement.

"Our war against terrorists will continue until the complete elimination of terrorism from the country," the statement added.

It comes after ten Pakistani police officers were killed in an attack last month on a security checkpoint claimed by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the country's home-grown Taliban group.

The country has been battling a resurgence of militant violence in its western regions since 2021 when the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan.

Islamabad accuses Kabul's rulers of failing to root out militants staging attacks on Pakistan from over the border.