KHAR Scores of armed militants crossed the border from Afghanistan on Thursday and stormed a village in the country’s tribal belt, killing five civilians, Pakistani officials said.
The militants targeted Mamond village in Bajaur district, which borders the Afghan province of Kunar, despite the presence of Pakistani security checkpoints erected to check Taliban militants.
“Some 250-300 militants targeted civilians in Mamond. At least five civilians, including two women were killed,” local government official Fazle Akbar told AFP.
Akbar said three women were also wounded in the attack, which took place about 65 kilometres northwest of Khar, the main town in Bajaur.
“We have sent army and paramilitary troops to the area as we got reports that militants are still present there,” a security official told AFP.
“Some militants were also killed when troops in the area responded, but we do not know the number of casualties yet,” the official said.
On June 1 and June 3, hundreds of militants besieged an area in Pakistan’s northwestern district of Upper Dir on the Afghan border, sparking prolonged fighting that killed at least 34 people.
Earlier in the day, a bomb attack on security forces severely wounded at least two security personnel in Upper Orakzai Agency, DawnNews reported. The bomb was said to be detonated through a remote-controlled device.
More than 4,400 people have been killed across Pakistan in attacks blamed on Taliban and other extremist networks over the last four years.
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