3 Pak soldiers killed 4 injured in militant attack near Afghan border

By Sajjad Hussain
     Islamabad, Aug 31 (PTI) Three Pakistani soldiers were killed and four others sustained injuries in an attack by militants in a restive tribal district along Afghan border in northwest Pakistan.
     A group of unidentified militants targeted the troops during a search operation in South Waziristan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, the army said in a statement.
     Three soldiers were killed and four others sustained injuries after "terrorists fire-raid at security forces blocking position" during the search operation, it said on Sunday.
     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.
     According to a recently released UN report, over 6,000 Pakistani insurgents are hiding in Afghanistan, most belonging to the outlawed Pakistani Taliban group, which often attacks Pakistani military and civilian targets. PTI SH

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)