Briefly

PAKISTAN

Five soldiers killed in attack claimed by TTP

At least five soldiers in Pakistan were killed by firing from neighboring Afghanistan, Islamabad said on Sunday, in an attack claimed by the Pakistani Taliban. The Pakistan military said Islamabad "strongly condemns the use of Afghan soil by terrorists", adding it was determined to defend its borders. The attack, claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, took place in the Kurram district of rugged Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on the Afghan border, officials said. The TTP has stepped up attacks since a monthlong truce with the government ended last year. The attack came just days after Baloch separatists in the southwest killed nine troops in a series of attacks that officials said involved planners from Afghanistan as well as India.