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Deadly militant attack on Pakistan security checkpoint Deadly militant attack on Pakistan security checkpoint
(40 minutes later)
Eight Pakistani soldiers and 12 insurgents have been killed in fighting in north-western Pakistan, local officials say. More than 100 militants have stormed a security checkpoint in north-western Pakistan, killing at least eight soldiers.
They say militants - armed with rockets and heavy weapons - attacked a security checkpoint in the volatile Waziristan region early on Thursday. At least 12 insurgents were also killed in the overnight gun battle that lasted some hours, officials say.
Security forces then responded by opening fire and killing 12 rebels. The attack happened near the town of Makeen in the tribal district of South Waziristan, near the Afghan border.
Details of the attack are still sketchy, but one report said Taliban militants were involved in the assault. The area has seen a surge in missile strikes by US drone planes in recent days.
Reports say that more than 100 militants armed with rocket launchers and other weapons attacked the checkpoint in South Waziristan near the Afghan border. Only a few days ago, a US drone strike in South Waziristan killed a top al-Qaeda operative, Ilyas Kashmiri.
Earlier this month a top al-Qaeda operative, Ilyas Kashmiri, was killed in a US drone strike in the tribal region of South Waziristan. Lately, tension has been increasing across the whole border region because of a growing sense that Pakistan is preparing to carry out at least a limited offensive in North Waziristan, the BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Islamabad reports.
Militants in Pakistan have vowed to avenge his killing, as well as the death of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. He was killed by US forces in a garrison city north of Islamabad on 2 May. 'Most dangerous'
Many militants are believed to be sheltering in the semi-autonomous tribal regions of North and South Waziristan - the area has been described by the US as the "most dangerous place on earth." Local officials said the militants - armed with rockets and heavy weapons - stormed on the checkpoint shortly after midnight.
Security forces responded and the firefight continued for at least three hours.
Some reports say the militants were from the Taliban.
Militants in Pakistan have vowed to avenge the killing of Ilyas Kashmiri, as well as the death of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, who was killed by US forces in a garrison city north of Islamabad on 2 May.
Many militants are believed to be sheltering in the semi-autonomous tribal regions of North and South Waziristan. The area has been described by the US as the "most dangerous place on Earth".
Washington is thought to have renewed calls for Pakistan to take action in those areas as it seeks to build on the momentum it believes has been created following the killing of Bin Laden, our correspondent says.