Suspected pro-Taliban militants attacked a Pakistan army checkpoint near the Afghan border early on Wednesday, killing 2 soldiers and wounding three others before fleeing, officials said.
The attack happened near the border town of Speen Wam, about 25 kilometers west of Miran Shah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal region, where remnants of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda are believed to be hiding, a local security official said.
The official, who sought anonymity because of the sensitive nature of his job, said the security forces returned fire, but it was unclear whether the militants suffered any casualties.
No army spokesman was immediately available for comment, but a second security official, who also sought anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media, said troops backed by helicopter gunships were searching the area for the attackers.
Pakistan, a key ally of the United States in its war on terror, has deployed about 90,000 troops in its tribal areas along the Afghan border since the September 11, 2001 attacks in America to flush out militants.
Since then, North and neighboring South Waziristan have been the scene of scores of military operations against insurgents, who have stepped up attacks against security forces in recent months.
The latest attack came a day after militants with rockets and assault rifles attacked two military posts and a police checkpoint in North Waziristan and elsewhere, triggering gunbattles that killed four security personnel and two militants.
{{/usCountry}}The latest attack came a day after militants with rockets and assault rifles attacked two military posts and a police checkpoint in North Waziristan and elsewhere, triggering gunbattles that killed four security personnel and two militants.
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