Six Pakistani security personnel, including two officers, were killed during an exchange of fire with militants in the Hangu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan's military said.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military's media wing, said the clash occurred when a security forces convoy came under attack in the district.

According to the statement, Captain Abuzar Farooq, 23, from Gujranwala district, and Lieutenant Shiraz Babar, 22, from Chakwal district, were among those killed. The ISPR said the two officers were leading their respective units during the fighting.

Four other security personnel were also killed in the exchange of fire.

The ISPR said security forces killed eight militants during the operation. The military referred to the militants as “Khawarij” and said they were affiliated with what it calls Fitna-Al-Khwarij.

The Pakistani military has previously used the term “Khawarij” to refer to militants affiliated with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups it considers part of the broader insurgency.

The military also alleged that the group was backed by India, an accusation New Delhi has repeatedly rejected.

Following the clash, security forces launched a sanitisation operation in the area to search for additional militants and secure the site, according to the ISPR.

The military said Pakistani security forces and law-enforcement agencies would continue operations under Azm-i-Istehkam, the counterterrorism campaign approved by the Federal Apex Committee under the National Action Plan.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan, has experienced repeated militant attacks in recent years, with security forces conducting operations against armed groups across several districts of the province. (ILKHA)