Pakistani Taliban Ambush Kills 12 Soldiers in South Waziristan

At least 12 Pakistani soldiers were killed and four injured in a well-planned ambush by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) on a military convoy in South Waziristan near the Afghanistan border. The militants used heavy weapons and explosives, including blowing up an army bus, and seized weapons and drones from the convoy. The attack is part of a surge in militant activity in the region following the Afghan Taliban's return to power in 2021, with Islamabad accusing the Afghan Taliban administration of harboring TTP militants, a claim denied by Kabul. Local officials have reported increasing TTP presence and graffiti, raising fears of a resurgence of their influence reminiscent of the peak of the US War on Terror. Since the beginning of the year, nearly 460 people, mostly security personnel, have been killed in attacks by armed groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, with last year being Pakistan's deadliest in nearly a decade. Pakistani authorities continue search operations to capture the attackers and restore control amid growing insecurity in the region.