TTP martyrs 2 border troops as group increases presence

PESHAWAR: The Pakistani Taliban shot dead two border troops in a remote region next to Afghanistan, an official said on Thursday, after the militant group scrawled graffiti throughout villages.

Militancy has surged again in the border regions with Afghanistan since the return to power of the Afghan Taliban in Kabul in 2021.

Most active are the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP), a separate but closely linked group that once controlled swaths of northwestern Pakistan until they were pushed back by a military operation that began in 2014.

A senior local government official in Swat, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, said security forces launched an operation on Wednesday night.

“Following reports of wall chalkings by the TTP and that they were patrolling in the area, security forces launched an operation,” he said.