Islamabad: A Pakistani soldier was killed
and another injured on Saturday in a roadside bomb attack targeting
a security forces convoy in the troubled North Waziristan
tribal region, security officials said.
The incident took place in Data Khel area of North
Waziristan tribal agency, which borders Afghanistan, the
security officials were quoted as saying by TV news channels.
They said the blast left a soldier dead and another
injured.
The improvised explosive device was detonated by remote
control as the convoy was passing the area.
Security forces imposed curfew in the area after the
attack and launched a search operation to trace the
perpetrators.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack.
The government has a peace deal with the main Taliban
group in North Waziristan that is led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur.
The pact states that both sides will not attack each other.
Security officials say there are splinter militant groups
in North Waziristan which routinely carry out attacks on
security forces.
They say that fighters of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban
Pakistan are sheltering in parts of North Waziristan after
fleeing the neighbouring South Waziristan tribal agency when a
major operation was carried out there in 2009.
The US has been urging Pakistan to launch an operation
against Taliban and al-Qaeda elements in North Waziristan, who
are blamed for cross-border attacks on foreign troops in
Afghanistan.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, December 31, 2011, 12:50