At least 16 soldiers were killed and 14 others were injured in a roadside bomb blast near a convoy of security forces in Pakistan's tribal region Wednesday, an army spokesman said.
The convoy was attacked near Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan tribal region, bordering Afghanistan, Major General Waheed Arshad was quoted by private DAWN NEWS TV channel as saying.
The bomb was exploded through a remote control when several army and private vehicles were passing near Miranshah, according to the spokesman, who earlier said five civilians and one security personnel were injured in the incident.
No group has claimed responsibility of the attack.
Attacks on security forces in North Waziristan have increased after local armed tribals scrapped a ten-month-long peace deal with the government and threatened to launch guerrilla-style attacks on security forces in the region.
A suicide bombing at a checkpost of security forces in Mir Ali, a major town in North Waziristan, on Tuesday killed at least five people including three soldiers.
Country-wide security alert has been put on following the deadly attacks on July 14-15 in the northwest frontier, which killed around 70 people and injured over 130 others.
The Pakistani government on July 16 decided to send more troops to North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and tribal areas in the wake of an alarming rise in attacks on security personnel across the region.
(Xinhua News Agency July 18, 2007)
