Militants in Pakistan kill 9 troops in separate attacks in the northwest

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Militants killed nine Pakistani troops in separate attacks in Pakistan’s northwest, security officials said Friday.

The assaults happened in the tribal districts of North and South Waziristan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.

Militants attacked a military post after midnight in the village of Misha, South Waziristan, killing six troops. An additional 11 troops were injured. In North Waziristan, militants attacked a patrol on Thursday, killing three security forces.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, which uses the province as a base.

Security officials confirmed the incidents on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Pakistan’s military issued a statement Friday about both attacks, but it gave a death toll only for the South Waziristan attack. It did not say that troops died in the attack in North Waziristan.