Skip to main content

Militants lay siege to Pakistan checkpoint, killing 5

By Shaan Khan, CNN
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • A battle at a checkpoint in northwest Pakistan lasts an hour
  • Anti-Taliban fighters and police kill 10 attackers, an official says

(CNN) -- About 50 militants attacked a checkpoint in a volatile region of northwest Pakistan early Sunday, killing five people, senior government official Syed Ahmed Jan told CNN.

Ten militants were killed in the battle, Jan said.

The checkpoint in the Khyber agency, 30 kilometers west of Peshawar, was guarded by local anti-Taliban resistance fighters and tribal police.

Jan said the siege lasted for over an hour.

Although no one has taken responsibility for the attacks, local fighters and their families have become a frequent target of Taliban forces in the past few weeks. The most recent attack was on a school bus, killing five and injuring 15.