Suicide attack in Pakistan kills 7 soldiers, including lieutenant colonel

Militants rammed an explosive-laden truck into a Pakistani military post on Saturday, sparking a gun battle that killed at least seven soldiers, including two senior officers.

The attack occurred in the morning in the North Waziristan district of the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, as a group of six suicide attackers struck a security post, according to a statement from the Pakistan Army. “The terrorists rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the post, followed by multiple suicide bombing attacks, which led to the collapse of a portion of the building,” the military statement said. The attack killed at least seven soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel and a captain, said the statement. “During an intense exchange of fire, leading his troops from the front, Lieutenant Colonel Syed Kashif Ali, 39, and Captain Muhammad Ahmed Badar, 23, fought gallantly and paid the ultimate sacrifice.” Police reported that two attackers first drove their explosive-laden truck into the military compound in the Khaddi area of North Waziristan, while four others used a car to breach the camp.

Hayat Khan, a local police officer, said more force was called in and the operation was continuing. He said that the area had been cordoned off by the security forces. Militants have also previously targeted security forces, mainly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, has been active in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while Baloch separatist insurgents have been involved in attacks in the volatile region of Balochistan.

Last month, at least 10 police officers were killed and six others injured when militants ambushed a police station in the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Pakistani army reported that during a three-day operation following “coordinated attacks” by several militants in the Mach district of Balochistan in late January, 24 militants, four troops, and two civilians were killed. EFE aa-ssk