Over 100 militants attack Pakistani security post

[News_Editor]

Over 100 militants attack Pakistani security post

2011-06-09 19:23:08 GMT+7 (ICT)

MIRANSHAH, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- Scores of militants attacked a Pakistani security post in the northwestern region of the country near the Afghan border, killing at least eight soldiers, local media reported on Thursday.

The attack occurred shortly after midnight in the town of Makeen, which lies right on the border of South and North Waziristan, when some 150 militants carrying heavy weapons and rockets raided the security post, an intelligence officer told Dawn News.

During the clashes, eight Pakistani soldiers and at least 12 Taliban militants were killed. Makeen is also known for being a former stronghold for terrorist group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

Earlier in the month, over 200 militants attacked a police post in the town of Shaltalo, located in the Upper Dir District in Pakistan's province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, when the group tried to enter Pakistan.

Over 70 people were reportedly killed during the fighting, including some 45 militants, as well as two women and two children. At least 22 security personnel have also been killed although some reports say up to 28.

On Wednesday, U.S. drone strikes killed at least 20 suspected militants in the Shawal area of North Waziristan, which is near the area of the attack.

Pakistan's Afghan border, which the United States considers to be the most dangerous place on Earth, is known to be a stronghold of the Taliban's Haqqani Network, considered one of the top terrorist organizations and threats to U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-06-09