Context
At least three soldiers and 34 Taliban insurgents were killed as Pakistani troops clashed with militants along the Pak-Afghan border on Thursday. The battle began in the Malik din Khel region in the Khyber district. The militants believed to be part of Lashkar-e-Islam (army of Islam), a militant group led by warlord Mangal Bagh, attacked Frontier Corps troops carrying out a search operations in the region. A Frontier Corps statement issued said “Security forces responded effectively and have cleared the area of militants.”
The tribal Khyber district lies close to the borders between Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is also the main route for the transport of NATO supplies in Afghanistan.
