Clashes kill six Pakistan security forces: Officials

Security official says around 100 militants attacked a Frontier Corps check post in the Shalobar area Monday night.

PESHAWAR: Dozens of militants attacked a Pakistani checkpoint, sparking clashes that killed six security personnel and four militants in the tribal belt overnight, officials said Tuesday.

The fighting took place in the northwestern Khyber district, where troops are frequently locked in clashes with Lashkar-e-Islam.

"Around 100 militants attacked a Frontier Corps check post in the Shalobar area of Bara in Khyber tribal region on Monday night, which triggered a firefight," a security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Officials said four paramilitary soldiers and two tribal policemen were killed, and 16 other personnel were wounded.

The area is cut off to journalists and aid workers so it was not possible to confirm the death toll independently.

A spokesman for Lashkar-e-Islam said it carried out the attack but denied that any of its fighters were killed.

"We took four soldiers hostage as well. There was no loss of life on our side in the clashes," said spokesperson Abur Rasheed Lashkari in a text message.