Peshawar, Pakistan: A militant raid on a Pakistan fort killed at least four soldiers on Saturday, a senior intelligence official and the military said, the latest in a streak of attacks targeting state forces.
More than 1,600 people were killed in attacks in Pakistan in 2024 -- the deadliest year in almost a decade -- according to the Center for Research and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based analysis group.
The attack on Tall Fort in Miran Shah -- a northwestern town just over 10 kilometres (six miles) from the Afghan border -- began around 10am (0500 GMT), according to the intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"More than two dozen armed militants launched a heavy-weapon assault," he told AFP.
He said initial reports indicated an officer and four soldiers were killed, "while an exchange of fire between the forces and militants from the banned group is still ongoing".
"There are concerns that the death toll may rise," he said.
The Pakistan military's media wing said in a statement four soldiers, including an officer, had been killed in a Miran Shah firefight and that six militants were "effectively neutralized".
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on the fort.
Separatist militants claimed an attack on a highway in the volatile southwest that killed at least 18 paramilitaries this month.
