ISLAMABAD, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- At least one soldier was killed and 12 others were injured in a blast that hit a police vehicle in northwest tribal region of Kurram on Sunday, local media reported.
The incident took place at about 2:00 p.m. (local time) when a vehicle of paramilitary forces was targeted by a road-side bomb in Shaheedan Dand area of lower Kurram area near Pak-Afghan border, local Urdu TV channel Aaj reported.
An army vehicle with more than 15 paramilitary troops on board was attacked by a remote-controlled device during its routine patrolling. Militants then opened fires on the troops, killing one soldier on the spot and injuring 12 others, the report said.
The injured soldiers were sent to the military hospital in Lower Kurram and hospital sources said some of the injured are in critical conditions.
In retaliatory attack, forces killed 10 militants and injured several others.
No group claimed responsibility for the blast so far.
Kurram Agency is the most volatile area at Pak-Afghan border where Pakistan army has been battling Taliban militants since last August.
Security forces said to have cleared some of the areas in lower Kurram agency from insurgents, but
Pakistan Taliban spokesperson Ahsan ullah Ahsan told media earlier this week that most of the areas in lower Kurram are still under the control of militants and they would continue attacking security forces in the future.
The clashes between militants and security forces escalated since the beginning of this year. Earlier on Friday, seven soldiers were killed and several others injured in a check-post attack by militants in the same lower Kurram area.
On Tuesday, 10 soldiers were killed and 32 others injured in a check post attack by militants in Kurram Agency.
During operations by security forces over the past five weeks, over 150 militants and 26 soldiers were killed while 67 soldiers injured in clashes with the militants in Kurram agency.
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