Pakistan kills 2 suicide bombers near Afghan border

by Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AA) – Two suicide bombers opened fire at a Pakistani military camp near its border with Afghanistan injuring two soldiers, before they were shot dead by security forces, officials said Friday.

The attackers targeted an army check post located only 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the border, in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal area of Khyber Agency, the army’s media wing, Inter-service Public Relations said in a statement.

Both suicide bombers were killed and the two injured soldiers have been shifted to a military-run hospital in Peshawar city, the statement added.

The suicide bombers had come close to the camp, when one of them was shot dead near the gate, while the other blew himself up, a political administrator told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

This week, five policemen have been killed in armed attacks across the country.

Tirah valley in Khyber Agency, bordering the Nangarahar province of Afghanistan, is one of the last bases of Taliban militants who otherwise have been on the run in an ongoing military operation in the tribal region.

Pakistan's army claims to have killed over 5,000 suspected militants during anti-terrorism operations in its restive tribal areas. More than 700 troops have lost their lives in the ongoing war with the Taliban.