Pakistani Army Says Five Soldiers Killed In Militant Attacks

Pakistan’s military says Islamic militants attacked several army posts in tribal regions along the Afghan border overnight, killing at least five soldiers.

The militants crossed the border from Afghanistan into the Mohmand tribal region and ambushed three military posts there, the army said in a statement on March 6.

It said 10 militants were killed in the ensuing fighting.

The statement didn’t mention which militant group was involved in the attacks, but a Pakistani Taliban breakaway faction, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, claimed responsibility.

Several Pakistani military offensives have targeted the bases and infrastructure used by various militant groups that have a strong presence in the country’s tribal regions.

A series of suicide bombings in recent months has killed more than 125 people. The attacks included a bombing at a famed Sufi shrine that killed 90 worshippers on February 16.

On February 13, a Taliban suicide-bomb attack in the city of Lahore killed 14 people.

The Pakistani Taliban, their allied local militants, and the extremist group Islamic State (IS) have claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP