PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani Taliban fighters ambushed a military convoy in a former militant stronghold in the country's northwest near the Afghan border on Tuesday, triggering an intense shootout that killed at least six soldiers, the military said.

The attack took place in South Waziristan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said in a statement. It said a search operation is underway in the area in an effort to trace the attackers.

Mohammad Khurasani, a spokesman for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Pakistani Taliban are a separate group but are allied with the Afghan Taliban, who took over Afghanistan in August 2021, following the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces from the country. The takeover emboldened the TTP, who often carry out attacks near the Afghan border and elsewhere in the country.