Militant attacks kill 5 Pakistani soldiers

A suicide bomber struck an army barracks in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Wednesday, killing at least four soldiers and injuring 10 others, near the Line of Control. The bomber targeted barracks close to an army hospital at Tararkhal, over 90 kms from PoK capital Muzaffarabad, police said.

There were over 35 soldiers in the facility located near the LoC when the attacker struck at 6.50 am local time. Police said the attacker detonated his explosives after guards stopped him at the entrance of the barracks. Fourteen soldiers were injured and four of them succumbed to their injuries in hospital.

Part of the barracks was destroyed by the blast. Security forces cordoned off the area and stopped the movement of people around the site of the explosion. In recent weeks, the violence has spread from Pakistan to PoK, which was largely unaffected by militant attacks over the years. Last month, 10 people were killed when a suicide bomber struck a Shia procession in Muzaffarabad.

Two soldiers were killed when a bomber carried out the first suicide attack in PoK in June last year. Reports have said that several banned groups, including the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashker-e-Tayiba, have stepped up their activities in PoK over the past year.

Meanwhile, a soldier was killed and two more were injured when Taliban militants fired several rockets at security forces at Tabai Sar in the Razmak sector of Waziristan, the military said.

Troops conducted a search and clearance operation at Sherkai near Razmak and cleared more than 100 houses. Search and clearance operations were also conducted at Badar valley in the Shakai sector.

In the Swat valley, security forces apprehended two suspected militants and seized a cache of arms and ammunitions during search operations at several places.

Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani chaired a Corps Commanders Conference at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi to review the security situation in and around Pakistan. The meeting was given a briefing on the security situation.

"The forum showed satisfaction over the operational preparedness of the army," said a statement issued by the military spokesman.