Taliban kills 8 soldiers on Pakistan border

Taliban militants attacked an army checkpoint in Pakistan near the Afghan border Wednesday, killing eight Pakistani soldiers.

"The militants attacked the check post with heavy weapons last night and in response the soldiers fought the militants," Col. Nadeem Khan told CNN.

Pakistan's Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on the army post, claiming they had killed 12 soldiers, reported Voice of America. Security officials said 10 militants were killed in the fighting that followed in the South Waziristan tribal agency. At least six other soldiers were also wounded in the battle.

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"We took seven dead bodies, out of 12, of soldiers in our custody," Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan said, according to CNN. "It's a lesson for anyone who supports the United States against us."

The military launched a large offensive against militants in South Waziristan in 2009, said the Associated Press, but insurgents still operate in the area and sometimes stage attacks. Wednesday's assault followed the start of a new army operation to remove militants from the area.

In the nearby Bajaur tribal agency, at least three soldiers and six militants were also killed in fighting on Wednesday, reported VOA. Pakistan's military also said Wednesday taht the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan is expected to visit the country on Thursday.