Islamabad, 16 March 2024 (dpa/MIA) – Suicide bombers rammed their explosive-laden car into a Pakistani military checkpoint on Saturday, killing at least seven soldiers in the deadliest attack since last month's national election, officials said.

The attack occurred in the region of North Waziristan near the Afghan border that had long served as headquarters for Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda and its ally the Taliban.

At least six attackers were also killed in the bombing and an ensuing gun battle that lasted for several hours, a statement by the military said.

A suicide bomber first blew himself up at the entrance to the checkpoint before another one hit the gate with a car, the statement added.

No group has immediately claimed responsibility, but both the Pakistani Taliban and the extremist Islamic State group have been attacking security forces and civilians in the region.

Pakistani Taliban, a group different from their Afghan counterparts, had launched several deadly attacks in the run up to February 8 elections, but there has been a tense calm since then.

The north-western region that shares a border with Afghanistan has seen a steady rise in violence staged by the militants since the Afghan Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.

More than 80,000 Pakistanis have been killed in bombings carried out by Islamist militants since the 9/11 attacks in the United States in 2001.