Militants in Pakistan kill six soldiers near Afghan border

ISLAMABAD: Militants killed six Pakistani soldiers in an exchange of fire in a northwestern tribal district bordering Afghanistan, the army said on Thursday.

No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the bloodshed, which comes after Pakistan declared a new offensive against militants following a resurgence of attacks, including a mosque bombing that killed more than 100 people in February. "A fire exchange took place between terrorists and our own troops," the army said in a statement, describing the incident in North Waziristan, which has long been a hotbed of Islamist militants who operate on both sides of the border.

Three "terrorists" were also killed when the army engaged them, it said, adding that it was searching the area to determine if any more attackers were in hiding. The incident came within a week after attacks by Islamist militants, including an assault by a suicide bomber who drove into a military base camp just outside the rugged, lawless tribal district, killing three soldiers.