Officials in Pakistan say a gunfight with militants in a northwestern district near the Afghan border Wednesday left four soldiers dead, including a high ranking officer.
The military said the early morning clash occurred when security forces raided a terrorist hideout in the Sherotkai area of the Upper Dir district and militants, including two suicide bombers, entrenched there, retaliated with heavy gunfire.
'Terrorist' captured
One bomber blew himself up while the other was killed during the firefight and a third “terrorist” was captured, it said.
“An officer and three soldiers sacrificed their lives while foiling a devastating terrorist activity,” the statement added.
A spokesman for the anti-state Pakistani Taliban claimed its fighters engaged the raiding troops and killed them.
“These cowardly attacks on our law enforcing agencies can never flinch our resolve to back-off or slow down in our resolve to continue with anti-terror operations,” Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said in a separate statement.
Spy officer killed by IS
Islamic State has also taken credit for some of the recent attacks on Pakistani security forces.
The Middle East-based terrorist group through its Amaq global media outlet claimed responsibly for Tuesday's assassination in Multan of an officer of the country's main spy agency, ISI.
Earlier this year an ISI officer's bullet-riddled body was found on a busy road in the southern Pakistani city days after he was kidnapped. IS claimed it was behind the killing.
