Pakistani military: 2 soldiers killed in militant attack

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – Suspected militants ambushed a Pakistani army vehicle in a former Taliban and al-Qaida stronghold near the Afghanistan border, triggering a shootout that killed two soldiers, the army said Sunday.

It said two soldiers were also wounded in Saturday night’s attack near the border village of Ghariom in North Waziristan and that troops retaliated and killed one of the attackers in an ensuing exchange of fire.

the army provided no further details and only said troops later cleared a nearby militant compound in North Waziristan, a former tribal region that had served as a militant base until recent years when the Pakistani military said its successive operations there had cleared the area of the Taliban.

The latest attack came as authorities prepared to reopen a key border crossing with neighbouring Afghanistan to allow trade.

Trucks carrying fruits, vegetables and other items will start crossing the Ghulam Khan border in North Waziristan district on Monday.