Pakistan militant shootout leaves four dead in former Taliban stronghold

Pakistan militant shootout leaves four dead in former Taliban stronghold
The pre-dawn shootout happened in South Waziristan, formerly occupied by the Pakistani Taliban.
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Pakistani soldiers were reportedly ambushed by the Pakistani Taliban in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province [Getty]

Militants ambushed Pakistani troops in a former Taliban stronghold in the northwest of the country, triggering an intense shootout in which two officers and two insurgents were killed, the military said Tuesday.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, following a spate of attacks in the troubled northwest region.

The pre-dawn battle happened in South Waziristan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to a military statement. It said the slain insurgents were involved in multiple past attacks on security forces.

The military said the officers killed were an army major and a junior officer. It provided no further details.

The Pakistani Taliban are known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and are a separate group from the Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan, who took over that country in August.

Since then, the TTP has stepped up attacks on security forces in the region and elsewhere.