Attack on Pakistan army post near Afghan border kills seven, military says

Militants attacked a military post in Pakistan near Afghanistan early on Saturday using a vehicle laden with explosives as well as suicide bombs, killing seven security force members, Pakistan’s military said.

The incident in northwest Pakistan was carried out by six attackers, the military’s media wing said in a statement, without naming the militant group responsible for the attack.

“The terrorists rammed an explosive laden vehicle into the post, followed by multiple suicide bombing attacks, which led to collapse of portion of a building, resulting into Shahadat (martyrdom) of five,” the statement said, adding that another two security force members were killed in later fighting with the militants.

Residents in Waziristan, an area bordering Afghanistan in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, told Reuters an explosion shook doors and damaged windows during the attack.

Pakistani government and security officials say attacks have risen in recent months, many of them claimed by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and launched from Afghan soil.

That has damaged the relationship between Pakistan and the ruling Afghan Taliban, who deny they have allowed Afghanistan to be used by militants.

Pakistan’s national elections in February took place under tight security. Nine people died in blasts, grenade and gun attacks on election day.