Four Soldiers Killed in Pakistan Checkpoint Attack
11:26 05/06/2012 MOSCOW, June 5 (RIA Novosti) - At least four soldiers were killed when a group of militants attacked a military checkpoint in north-west Pakistan, Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday quoting Dawn TV channel.
The incident occurred on Tuesday morning in Mohmand tribal area, near the Pakistan-Afghan border, at the same checkpoint where 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed during a NATO Helicopter attack in November last year.
According to Xinhua, the exact number of militants is unknown, but 20 were killed, along with four soldiers as the attack was repulsed. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but it is believed the militants were connected to the Taliban. According to Xinhua, in September 2011 Pakistan authorities claimed that had cleared the Mohmand area of Taliban militants, and Xinhua reports the incident could indicate a Taliban return.
On Monday, in the nearby North Waziristan region of Pakistan’s northwest tribal area, at least 16 suspected militants were killed in a U.S. drone strike.
Pakistan has repeatedly expressed its official displeasure with air strikes by U.S. drones and NATO air raids in the north-west of Pakistan. Islamabad closed NATO supply routes to Afghanistan after the November 2011 NATO helicopter attack on a Mohmand checkpoint attacked by militants on Tuesday.
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