Thaindian News

Islamabad, Oct 17 (IANS) At least nine Pakistani security personnel and 15 militants were killed Monday during an armed clash triggered by an attack on a security check post in the country’s northwestern tribal region, media reports said.

Local Urdu TV Geo News quoted security sources as saying that 30 to 35 militants attacked a security check post in Bara area of Khyber Agency, Pakistan’s northwestern tribal region bordering Afghanistan, Xinhua reported.

Militants used automatic weapons along with hand grenades and rockets that killed nine soldiers.

Soon after the attack, the security forces retaliated, leading to the hours-long armed clash in which 15 militants were reportedly killed and some others managed to escape.

No militant group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Thousands of Pakistani soldiers were engaged in a major offensive against the Taliban in the northwestern region for the past couple of years. Pakistani officials claimed that at least 5,000 Pakistani security personnel have been killed in attacks by the militants since it joined the war on terror.

Eight militants were killed and one soldier was injured during a clash between militants and security forces on Oct 4, which took place in Dabori area of Orakzai region, a militant insurgent area at Pakistan-Afghan border.

At least five policemen were killed and nine others were injured in a bomb blast in the Tor Ghar area of country’s northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Oct 1.