DHAKA: A high-ranking Pakistani general has been killed in a bomb attack claimed by the Taliban near the Afghan border.

The Pakistani army said, reports Al Jazeera.

Major General Sanaullah Khan was the top army commander in a northwestern region, including the volatile Swat Valley.

A lieutenant colonel and another officer were also killed in the attack on Sunday in the Upper Dir district after visiting an outpost near the border, the army said.  

Khan is one of the most senior officers to be killed by the Pakistani Taliban, and his death could jeopardise ongoing efforts for peace talks between the group and the government, according to Al Jazeera.

The attack came at a time when the military was about to start its withdrawal from Shangla in upper Swat and Buner.

Many fighters were pushed out of the volatile area and fled across the border to Afghanistan after military operations.

BDST: 2044 HRS, SEPT 15, 2013
RoR/SRS