Six Paramilitary Personnel Killed and Eight Kidnapped in Peshawar Attack by Pakistani Taliban

Six members of Pakistan's paramilitary forces were killed and eight others kidnapped during an attack on a checkpoint in the country's northwest by the Pakistani Taliban, security officials reported on Tuesday.

An unnamed security official stated that dozens of militants from the group claiming responsibility for the attack stormed a checkpoint in Peshawar on Monday, carrying firearms, hand grenades, and mortar shells, according to a report by the news agency Agence France-Presse.

Another security official confirmed that "six personnel of the Frontier Corps were martyred and four others injured in the attack carried out by armed militants," referring to the paramilitary force responsible for part of the security duties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.

The official added that the militants abducted eight members of the force and took them to an unknown location. The Pakistan Army did not immediately comment on the incident.

The Pakistani Taliban published a photo of the hostages on their social media channels, reaffirming their responsibility for the assault.

Pakistan is confronting an escalating insurgency along its western border with Afghanistan, accusing Kabul of harboring militants, an allegation denied by the Afghan Taliban.

Last month, several attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province resulted in 26 fatalities.

Relations between Kabul and Islamabad have deteriorated significantly in recent months due to these accusations, with tensions escalating into deadly border clashes and occasional Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghan territory.