Four soldiers killed as militants attack security post in Pakistan

PESHAWAR: Terrorists attacked a security post in a former Taliban stronghold in a tribal district in northwest Pakistan on Friday, triggering a shootout that killed four soldiers and as many insurgents. The attack took place in Makeen area in the South Waziristan district, bordering Afghanistan.

Troops responded promptly to the attack, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Army’s media wing.

“At least four soldiers were killed in the attack,” it said, adding four attackers were also killed.

Shah Farman, the governor of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, condemned the attack.

No group has claimed responsibility, although Pakistani Taliban have been blamed for such previous violence in the region, where militants have a presence.

South Waziristan had served as a base for al-Qaeda and Taliban militants until recent years when Pakistan claimed that it has destroyed all hideouts of terrorists in the northwestern tribal belt.

According to Pakistan Army, militants hiding across the border occasionally enter into the country and target the security forces in the region.