KARACHI, Pakistan

At least five troops and eight militants were killed in an ambush targeting security forces deployed for a major gas pipeline in northwestern Pakistan on Monday, security sources said.

The incident occurred on the outskirts of the Dera Ismail Khan district of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when heavily armed militants attacked the troops, who were deployed for the security of the Sui Northern Gas Company site, a security official told Anadolu on condition of anonymity.

Another 10 soldiers were also injured, some of them critically, in the attack.

There was no official confirmation by the Pakistani military about the incident.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the Tehreek-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has long been attacking security forces and installations in the region.