DHAKA: Pakistani army officers said the military, backed by helicopter gunships, killed 14 militants in a clash near the Afghan border in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal region.

The officers said a group of insurgents sneaked into Pakistan on Saturday and attacked a military checkpoint, killing one soldier and wounding two others.

They said the attack in the Bajur tribal region prompted a gunbattle, still underway hours later.

The officers spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to talk to media. Their accounts could not be independently verified because of the remoteness of the region.

Pakistan and Afghanistan share a volatile and porous border that is often the scene of cross-border attacks.

Militants from both countries also cross the border to use the neighboring country’s soil as a safe haven, reports Hindustan Times.

BDST: 1800 HRS, MAY 31, 2014