Police: Militant attack on checkpoint kills 14 Pakistani soldiers

By Nasir Habib, CNN

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The attack takes place in Lower Dir District in northwest Pakistan
More than 100 militants open fire on soldiers, police say
There have been several other attacks targeting troops and civilians in the area

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Fourteen soldiers were killed and 12 wounded when more than 100 militants attacked a Pakistani military checkpoint on the country's border with Afghanistan, police said Friday.

The attack took place Thursday evening at a checkpoint in the Lower Dir District, one of 24 that make up the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said district Police Chief Muhammad Saleem Murrawat.

More than 100 militants launched the attack and opened fire on soldiers, he said.

Security forces fought back, forcing the militants to retreat, Murrawat said.

In recent months, militants in the area have launched several attacks on troops and civilians as retaliation for an army offensive to rout them from their havens along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

In early April, at least five people were killed after an explosion at a bus station in the district.