Bomb kills seven Pakistani soldiers: Officials
Soldiers were providing security to workers building the road between Miranshah and the area of Ghulam Ali.
Pakistani troops have been fighting for years against homegrown insurgents in the area. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
MIRANSHAH:
A bomb attack killed seven Pakistani soldiers and wounded 12 others on Tuesday in near Miranshah on the Afghan border, local officials said.
The bomb struck on a road under construction, five kilometres north of Miranshah, the main town of the district of North Waziristan, known as a strong bastion of Taliban and al Qaeda linked militants.
"An improvised explosive device planted along the roadside went off near a military truck, killing seven soldiers and wounding 12 others," a local intelligence official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
He said that the soldiers were providing security to workers building the road between Miranshah and the area of Ghulam Ali.
Another intelligence official confirmed the attack and casualties.
Pakistan goes to the polls in a general election on May 11 but there are fears that violence will impact voter turnout in the northwestern tribal belt.
Pakistani troops have been fighting for years against homegrown insurgents in the area, where the United States has accused them of not doing enough to crack down on Taliban and other militants active in Afghanistan.
Washington considers the tribal belt the main hub of Taliban and al Qaeda militants plotting attacks on the West and in Afghanistan.
Pakistan says more than 35,000 people have been killed as a result of terrorism in the country since the 9/11 attacks on the United States.
A bomb attack killed seven Pakistani soldiers and wounded 12 others on Tuesday in near Miranshah on the Afghan border, local officials said.
The bomb struck on a road under construction, five kilometres north of Miranshah, the main town of the district of North Waziristan, known as a strong bastion of Taliban and al Qaeda linked militants.
"An improvised explosive device planted along the roadside went off near a military truck, killing seven soldiers and wounding 12 others," a local intelligence official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
He said that the soldiers were providing security to workers building the road between Miranshah and the area of Ghulam Ali.
Another intelligence official confirmed the attack and casualties.
Pakistan goes to the polls in a general election on May 11 but there are fears that violence will impact voter turnout in the northwestern tribal belt.
Pakistani troops have been fighting for years against homegrown insurgents in the area, where the United States has accused them of not doing enough to crack down on Taliban and other militants active in Afghanistan.
Washington considers the tribal belt the main hub of Taliban and al Qaeda militants plotting attacks on the West and in Afghanistan.
Pakistan says more than 35,000 people have been killed as a result of terrorism in the country since the 9/11 attacks on the United States.