By IRNA
Islamabad : At least five soldiers were killed in an overnight militants’ attack at an army post in Pakistan’s South Waziristan tribal region, an army spokesman said Tuesday.
Militants opened heavy fire on an army observation post at Ladha area at 1 a.m., killing five soldiers, Major General Athar Abbas said.
“The army repulsed the attack and inflicted heavy losses on the miscreants,” the spokesman said.
He, however, did not give exact figures of casualties of militants.
The spokesman said that firefight continued for two hours, as a result of which seven soldiers were injured.
He denied reports that the security forces are planning a major operation in South Waziristan.
The army launches counter attack when they are attacked, the spokesman said.
Major General Azhar Abbas said the army also launches attack when ‘the miscreants create problems for civilians’.
South Waziristan has seen severe clashes between the local Taliban and security forces in recent days.
The army claims to have killed over 100 militants in few days, the claim denied by the Pakistani Taliban Movement spokesman Maulvi Umar.
The Taliban overrun a fort of security forces last week and had claimed killing 16 soldiers.
Local correspondents in the region said that the militants also kidnapped 12 soldiers in the last night attack at Ladha Fort.