Six dead after militants attack Pakistan border posts

Six militants have been killed after a thwarted attack on Pakistan army posts along the country’s border with Afghanistan, the military said Sunday.

Five soldiers were injured in two separate attacks in Balochistan, a restive province in Pakistan’s south, and the tribal district of Bajaur in the country’s far north.

“Security forces responded effectively and repulsed attacks, killing six terrorists,” the military said in a statement, adding that four troops from the paramilitary Frontier Corps and an Air Force soldier had been injured.

The attacks targeted soldiers working to erect a fence along the length of Pakistan’s 2400-kilometre (1490-mile) border with Afghanistan, across which Pakistan alleges militants sneak into the country from its western neighbour.

Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of allowing militants hiding across the border to launch attacks on Pakistani military targets.

Several Islamist militant groups are active in Balochistan, including the Taliban and local affiliates of the Islamic State group.

The Taliban and other militant groups are also active in Bajaur, which has witnessed a spate of roadside bombings and other insurgent attacks in recent years.