QUETTA: Gunmen stormed a checkpost before dawn on Thursday, killing six soldiers, snatching their weapons and escaping in Balochistan province, officials said.

Up to a dozen Baloch rebels attacked the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) post in the district of Dera Bugti, about 400 kilometres (250 miles) southeast of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan that borders Afghanistan and Iran.

“The attackers came before dawn and opened fire on the soldiers after encircling the checkpost. All six soldiers were killed on the spot,” a senior security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Another security official confirmed the attack and said that about a dozen gunmen were involved in the attack.

“They came on motorcycles and took away all the weapons after killing all the six FC men,” he said.

Pakistan uses paramilitary troops in an effort to help maintain law and order in the remote areas of Balochistan.

Both officials blamed Thursday's attack on Baloch rebels.