IED blasts kill three soldiers in northwest Pakistan

PESHAWAR: At least three soldiers were killed and two others were injured on Thursday in two improvised explosive device (IED) blasts in the country's northwest, sources in the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) told Dawn. The devices were planted along a roadside and targeted a team of soldiers patrolling on foot and inspecting the area near Nosher Fort bordering North Waziristan. A statement issued by the military spokesman said: “Two soldiers embraced martyrdom and three were injured early in morning in two IED blasts planted by terrorists on a roadside near Nosher Fort, bordering North Waziristan." Another issued a short time later added one of the wounded subsequently died. Other reports claimed that it was a landmine blast. Police personnel and rescue teams reached the site of the attack and shifted the bodies and the injured to a nearby hospital. AFP adds: “A patrolling team was inspecting the Bannu-Miramsah road to build a military check post when they stepped on an IED,”a senior security official based in Peshawar said. He said the incident occurred around 16 miles east of Miramshah. “It's a standard operating procedure that a patrolling team on foot inspects the area before setting up a temporary checkpoint,” he said.