Four Pakistani troops killed in blast in border region
Four Pakistani troops were killed in a blast in the country's tribal region, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Saturday, despite violence in the country decreasing in recent years.
An improvised explosive device went off by a patrol close to the Afghan border, Khan said.
"Deeply saddened to learn of the shahadat of 3 officers & 1 soldier from a terrorist-planted IED blast in Kharkamar, N.Waziristan," Khan said on his Twitter account.
Dawn newspaper said four other soldiers were wounded when the blast targeted a military vehicle in North Waziristan on Friday, according to the military's media department.
Violence in Pakistan has declined in recent years after the army took part in operations along the northwestern border with Afghanistan.
Militant groups can and still do carry out deadly attacks in the country.
Ten security personnel have been killed in "terrorist" violence in the area over the past month, Dawn reported.
The Islamic State claimed claimed responsibility for a suicide blast in Pakistan's Quetta city in April that killed 20 people and left 48 more injured.
The group released a photograph of the bomber along with his name on Saturday and said the attack targeted Shia Muslims.
On Friday, a little known faction of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the blast, saying it collaborated with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), which has been behind numerous bloody attacks on Shia Muslims in Pakistan.