Pakistan's Taliban accused the military of breaking a fragile ceasefire after the army said five soldiers and at least four militants died in a gun battle in the country's northwest.
Twenty-one separatist fighters and six members of Al-Qaeda's Yemen branch were killed as an attack by the jihadists punctured months of relative peace in the war-torn country.
The British Army has participated in Exercise Vigilant Knife alongside Finnish and Swedish troops to strengthen interoperability in anticipation of their NATO accession.