MIRANSHAH, Pakistan - Two Pakistani soldiers were killed and another wounded when their vehicle was blown up by a roadside bomb in a remote tribal region near the Afghan border, the military said on Sunday.The blast occured on Friday in the North Waziristan district of Zoisedki, around three kilometers from the border. âTwo soldiers were martyred and another wounded when an improvised explosive device hit their vehicle during a routine patrol,â military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan told AFP.
Security forces have been battling militants linked to Al Qaeda and Afghanistanâs former Taleban regime in the lawless tribal region where tens of thousands of troops remain deployed. Islamabad recently sent in reinforcements to the region ahead of Afghanistanâs historic parliamentary elections scheduled for September 18 to prevent the cross-border movement of militants.
Last year the army dismantled a string of Al Qaeda hideouts, killing hundreds of militants in neighbouring South Waziristan. About 250 soldiers have died in anti-militant operations.