Pakistan army says four soldiers killed in firefight with militants

PHOTO CAPTION: A soldier stands guard along the border fence outside the Kitton outpost on the border with Afghanistan in North Waziristan, Pakistan October 18, 2017. REUTERS/Caren Firouz

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The Pakistan army said on Thursday that four of its soldiers were killed in a firefight with militants near the northwestern border with Afghanistan.

Five Islamist militants were also killed, it said.

The fire exchange took place in tribal region of South Waziristan, which sits next to the Afghan border - a region that has long been a safe haven for the militants who operate on both sides of the border.

Islamabad says the militants use the Afghan soil to train and plan attacks in Pakistan, a charge Kabul denies, saying the militancy has been a home grown problem for the South Asian nation.

An umbrella group of the militants called Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan have been attacking Pakistan and its forces for years in a bid to overthrow the government and replace it with their harsh Islamic system.

It has accelerated attacks since last year after it revoked a ceasefire with the government, accusing it of violating the truce.



(Reporting by Gibran Peshimam; Writing by Shivam Patel; Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Bill Berkrot)