Roadside bomb claims 7 Pakistani soldiers

Sat Oct 31, 2009

At last seven Pakistani soldiers have been killed after a roadside bomb hit their military vehicle in the restive northwestern tribal region of Khyber.

The soldiers were conducting a routine patrol in Sur Khar, about 50 km (30 miles) east of the region's main town, Landikotal, when the explosion occurred. About a dozen of soldiers were also wounded.

"Seven paramilitary soldiers were killed and 11 were wounded in the remote-control bomb attack," a police official said.

The vehicle, which was carrying supplies for paramilitary troops in the region, was completely destroyed.

In response to the attack, paramilitary Frontier Corps pounded several suspected militant hideouts with artillery.

The Pakistani army launched a military operation against pro-Taliban militants in Khyber agency in September after militants tried to expand their activities, including kidnappings and killings, into neighboring Peshawar.

The restive region has also earned a bad reputation over numerous attacks on NATO supply convoys to Afghanistan. US-led forces in Afghanistan receive up to 75% of their supplies via Pakistan.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/110083.html.