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TTP-claimed bomb attack in Pakistan's northwest kills soldiers

The southeastern country is witnessing increased attacks on security forces after The banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended a cease-fire with the government last November.

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The attacks came after the government announced plans for a massive anti-terrorist operation across the country within the coming weeks.

A roadside bomb has exploded in northwest Pakistan, killing two soldiers who were travelling in their vehicle, the military said.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack.

The banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan gave a higher death toll in the attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, saying eight soldiers died.

There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy.

The TTP also claimed responsibility for a hand grenade attack on a police van in the Swabi area of the province that killed a police officer and injured two others on Saturday.

Pakistan is witnessing increased attacks on security forces after the terrorist group ended a cease-fire with the government last November.

New anti-terror operation

To counter the wave of violence, the government said on Friday that it will carry out a massive anti-terrorist operation across the country within the coming weeks.

The National Security Committee, comprising the prime minister and the military’s top brass, agreed to re-launch the operation this month under a national action plan.

The plan involves military and intelligence operations, death sentences for militants, setting up special military courts for trials, and the deployment of anti-extremist forces in vulnerable areas.

A previous counter-extremist plan was launched in 2014 after a school massacre in Peshawar, where the TTP gunned down over 140 people, including 132 children.

The Pakistani Taliban are a separate group from the Afghan Taliban, although Pakistan’s militant groups are often interlinked with those across the border.