Militant Attacks Kill Four Soldiers in Pakistan

Four Pakistani soldiers were killed in two different militant attacks in northwestern tribal regions near the Afghan border, the military said Saturday.

The incidents happened late Friday night in North Waziristan and Dir, where several military operations have been launched in recent years against homegrown and foreign militants.

"Miscreants opened fire on a routine patrolling party of security forces near the Abba Khel area of North Waziristan, killing a soldier. In an exchange of fire, two miscreants were also killed," the military said in a statement.

Separately, it said three soldiers guarding a fence on the border with Afghanistan were killed and another was injured "when terrorists from across the border opened fire on them in Dir town".

Pakistan's army launched a massive operation in 2014 to wipe out militant bases in North Waziristan and end a near decade-long insurgency that has cost thousands of lives.

Violence in Pakistan has declined following the military offensives in the region, but militant groups are still able to carry out deadly attacks.