Five Pakistani soldiers and 21 Islamist militants were killed Friday in clashes in Pakistan's restive tribal region near the Afghan border, a security official said, DPA reported.
Major Fazalur Rehman, a spokesman for the paramilitary Frontier Corps, said the fighting started when dozens of militants attacked a security checkpoint in Ferozkhel area of Orakzai district. The soldiers repulsed the pre-dawn attack.
"Five security personnel, including a lieutenant colonel, were martyred while 16 were wounded. Twenty-one terrorists died," Rehman said.
The raid came a day after artillery and airstrikes killed 40 Taliban rebels in Orakzai, where Pakistani forces are carrying out an assault against Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters who are fleeing other army offensives in neighbouring districts.
Most of the soldiers killed in Friday's attack were from the Frontier Corps, which is spearheading the operation against Taliban militants in seven districts of the tribal region.
The United States describe the region as the most dangerous place on earth and the hub of global terrorism.