Militant attack kills 16 Pakistani soldiers

Sixteen troops were killed and eight others sustained injuries in a terrorist attack in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the early hours of Saturday, intelligence sources confirmed.

The assault began at approximately 2:30 am local time (2130 GMT Friday) in South Waziristan district of the province, where a check post was targeted in a coordinated fire raid that claimed the lives of the soldiers, the sources from the district told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Twelve bodies have been identified, while the identities of four more have yet to be confirmed, reports Xinhua.

The injured were swiftly evacuated to the paramilitary troops' Frontier Corps Training Center for medical treatment, the sources added.

In response to the attack, the soldiers retaliated effectively using rocket launchers and other available weapons, the sources added.

The Pakistani military has yet to issue an official statement regarding the perpetrators of the attack.