PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Sept 4, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The Pakistani Taliban shot dead two border troops in a remote border region next to Afghanistan, an official said Thursday, after the militants scrawled graffiti throughout villages.

Militancy has resurged in the border regions with Afghanistan since the return to power of the Afghan Taliban in Kabul in 2021.

The Pakistani Taliban (TTP), a separate but closely linked group which once controlled swaths of northwestern Pakistan until they were pushed back by a military operation that began in 2014, are the most active.

A senior local government official in Swat, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, said security forces launched an operation on Wednesday night.

"Following reports of wall chalkings by the TTP and that they were patrolling in the area, security forces launched an operation," he told AFP.

"An overnight exchange of fire ensued between the militants and security forces," he said, adding that two border troops were killed and five others wounded.

Although exact figures are uncertain, he said the presence of TTP militants increased over the past two months, estimating that there are around 400 across several border districts in mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Graffiti bearing the TTP's name appeared on buildings this week "to demonstrate their presence, intimidate locals, and boost the morale of militants already operating there".

"Within just the last 10 days, nine security personnel have been martyred," he said.

Last year was Pakistan's deadliest in nearly a decade, with more than 1,600 deaths, nearly half of them soldiers and police officers, according to the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies.

Islamabad accuses its neighbour of failing to expel militants using Afghan territory to launch attacks on Pakistan, an accusation that Afghanistan denies.

Since January 1, nearly 450 people, mostly members of the security forces, have been killed in attacks carried out by armed groups fighting the state, both in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the southern province of Balochistan, according to an AFP tally.