7 Pakistani soldiers killed, 7 missing near Afghan border

ISLAMABAD (PAN insurgents in northwestern Kurram and Orakzai tribal regions near the Afghan border, officials said on Friday.

The insurgents stormed the Shidano Dand post in Kurram on Thursday night, killing seven soldiers, while 19 militants were killed in retaliation, a senior military official told mediamen.

Ashfaq Bangash, a local journalist, said the clash between security forces and militants near the Nawab Shaheed post lasted five hours.  

Meanwhile, Pakistani aircraft pounded militant hideouts in the Kago Qamar area of Orakzai on Thursday night, a local official said on condition of anonymity.

Quoting security officials in the area, another local journalist, Shaheed Orakzai said six militants were killed in the bombardment.

The region has experienced a spike in clashes in recent weeks.

On Tuesday, dozens of heavily armed Taliban militants attacked a military post in the area, sparking clashes that killed eight soldiers and wounded another 15, the Pakistani military said.

Helicopter gunships were mobilised when the fighting broke out and officials said 35 militants were killed.

mas/ma

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