8 soldiers killed, 7 policemen kidnapped in Pakistan

Eight soldiers were killed and seven police officers kidnapped in separate attacks in northwest Pakistan, police and intelligence officials told the media on Tuesday.

A Monday clash resulted in the deaths of "eight soldiers" and "nine militants" in the Tirah area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, an intelligence officer said on condition of anonymity.

The Pakistani Taliban (TTP) claimed responsibility.

In a separate attack in the province, "seven police officers were kidnapped" at a checkpoint, said a senior police official, also speaking anonymously.

"The assailants also seized the weapons belonging to the officials," he added.

Another police official, Muhammad Zia ud-Din, confirmed the incident.

Pakistan has seen a rise in attacks by the TTP on its border with Afghanistan.

The group killed 10 police officers on October 25.

Islamist or separatist attacks on Pakistan's security forces are taking place elsewhere in the country of 240 million.

On Saturday, seven soldiers were killed by separatists in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province, a week after a bombing by the same group killed 26 people, including 14 soldiers, at a train station in the provincial capital.

Agence France-Presse