Six Pakistani soldiers were killed and four injured in an overnight attack on a security checkpoint in Kurram district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, carried out by the Pakistan Taliban (TTP).

Two militants were also killed during the heavy firefight, according to officials.

The attack comes amid heightened tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, following recent cross-border skirmishes that have killed dozens.

Although Afghan and Pakistani officials signed a ceasefire mediated by Qatar, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, fighting has continued, including a deadly exchange at a border crossing last Friday, Al-Jazeera has reported.

Additional tensions stem from Pakistan’s accelerated expulsion of Afghan refugees, though Islamabad plans to resume allowing UN aid into Afghanistan.