One security official killed, 19 missing after militants attack Pakistani fort

One security official killed, 19 missing after militants attack Pakistani fort

2011-12-24 06:12:29 GMT+7 (ICT)

PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- A Pakistani security official was killed on early Friday morning and nineteen others are missing after government forces clashed with militants in the country's restive tribal region, officials said.

An unknown number of militants carried out an attack at around 2:30 a.m. local time on Pakistan's Frontier Constabulary (FC) in Mullzai Fort, which is located in the Mullazai area north of the Tank district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Mullzai Fort is a guarded fortress which is being used to attack militant hideouts with artillery shelling during operations, which suggested that a large number of militants must have attacked the secure installation until it was overwhelmed.

An official confirmed to the Express Tribune that 19 FC personnel, which form part of the security forces usually placed in the frontier region areas, were missing after the attack. The FC also monitors zones between the tribal and settled areas.

Government officials subsequently launched a search and rescue operation in the area, but no further information was immediately disclosed. The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan have claimed responsibility for the attack, and there were no reports indicating militant casualties.

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