By The Straits Times | Created at 2024-11-20 09:57:33 | Updated at 2024-11-21 15:14:19
1 day ago
Updated
Nov 20, 2024, 05:26 PM
Published
Nov 20, 2024, 05:02 PM
ISLAMABAD - A suicide attack by Islamist militants on an outpost killed 12 soldiers in north-west Pakistan, the country’s military said on Nov 20.
Militants rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall of the outpost in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and damaged the adjoining infrastructure during the attack on Nov 19, the military’s media wing said in a statement.
“A Sanitisation operation is being conducted in the area and the perpetrators of this heinous act will be brought to justice,” the statement said, adding that six militants had been killed.
The military did not provide details on who was behind the attack, but Hafiz Gul Bahadur, an Islamist militant group, claimed responsibility.
Pakistan is battling a resurgence of militant attacks in its rugged north-west, as well as a growing ethnic separatist insurgency in the southwest.
On Nov 20, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a new military offensive against separatist insurgents in south-western Balochistan province, which borders Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and is home to key Chinese Belt and Road projects, after a spate of attacks in the area. REUTERS
