Suicide attack on Pakistan army outpost kills 12 soldiers in northwest

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A suicide attack by Islamist militants on an outpost killed 12 soldiers in northwest Pakistan, the country's military said on Wednesday.

Militants rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall of the outpost in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and damaged the adjoining infrastructure during the attack on Tuesday, the military's media wing said in a statement.

"Sanitization operation is being conducted in the area and the perpetrators of this heinous act will be brought to justice," the statement said, adding that six militants had been killed.

The military did not provide details on who was behind the attack, but Hafiz Gul Bahadur, an Islamist militant group claimed responsibility.

Pakistan is battling a resurgence of militant attacks in its rugged northwest, as well as a growing ethnic separatist insurgency in the southwest.

On Wednesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a new military offensive against separatist insurgents in southwestern Balochistan province, which borders Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and is home to key Chinese Belt and Road projects, after a spate of attacks in the area.

(Writing by Sudipto Ganguly and Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by YP Rajesh and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

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