12 soldiers were killed in a suicide attack on a Pakistani army outpost

On Wednesday, the country’s military said 12 soldiers were killed in a suicide attack by Islamist militants on an outpost in northwestern Pakistan.

During Tuesday’s attack, militants drove a vehicle laden with explosives into the perimeter wall of the facility in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and damaged adjacent infrastructure, the military’s media wing said in a statement.

“A decontamination operation is underway in the area and the perpetrators of this heinous act will be brought to justice,” the statement said, adding that six militants were killed.

The military did not provide details about who was behind the attack, but Hafiz Gul Bahadur, an Islamist militant group, claimed responsibility.

Pakistan is battling a resurgence in militant attacks in its rugged northwest, as well as a growing ethnic separatist insurgency in the southwest.

This was announced by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday

a new military offensive

against separatist insurgents in southwestern Balochistan province, which borders Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and is home to key Chinese Belt and Road projects, following a series of attacks in the area.

Reuters