Roadside Bomb Kills 3 Soldiers in Northwest Pakistan

At least three soldiers were killed and another two wounded in a roadside bomb blast in northwest Pakistan on Thursday, officials said. 

The incident took place near Miranshah, the capital of North Waziristan, one of the most violent tribal districts that houses Pakistani Taliban and the Haqqani network. 

"A patrolling team was inspecting the Bannu-Miransah road to build a military check post when they stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED)," a senior security official based in Peshawar told Agence France Presse. 

He said the incident occurred around 16 miles (26 kilometers) east of Miranshah.

"It's a standard operating procedure that a patrolling team on foot inspects the area before setting up a temporary checkpoint," he said. 

The military confirmed the incident through a spokesman.

"Two soldiers embraced martyrdom and three were injured early in morning in two IED blasts planted by terrorists on roadside near Nosher Fort, bordering North Waziristan," a statement said. Another issued a short time later added one of the wounded subsequently died.

Since the TTP rose up against the Pakistani state in 2007, more than 6,800 people have been killed in bomb and gun attacks around Pakistan, according to an AFP tally.