PESHAWAR: Six soldiers were killed when militants attacked a check post in the area of Badar in South Waziristan Agency (SWA), the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed.

In retaliation, security forces reportedly killed at least 10 militants and a dozen militants had been injured, security sources told Dawn.com.

Dozens of militants armed with rockets and grenades stormed the checkpost in Farhang Baba Ziarat village, around 30 kilometres north of Wana, the main town of South Waziristan tribal district, a senior security official in Peshawar told AFP.

Six soldiers have been confirmed killed in the clashes and seven injured, the official said, adding that the toll was likely to rise. Ten militants were killed, he said.

Moreover, sources said that nine, and not six, soldiers had died in the attack.

Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack and said that they had killed at least a dozen soldiers.

TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said “we have killed more than a dozen soldiers in South Waziristan. Some of the soldiers have been beheaded”.

The area is cut off to journalists and aid workers and it was not possible to confirm the death toll independently.

South Waziristan was once the main stronghold for the Pakistani Taliban. The military launched a large offensive against militants there in 2009, but insurgents still operate in the area and periodically stage attacks.