Cross-border attack kills 25 Pak soldiers

At least 200 militants crossed into Chitral district,where militant violence is rare,Saturday morning and attacked seven checkpoints run by the paramilitary Frontier Corps,two of which were overrun,the Pakistani military said.

There were conflicting reports about the numbers of Pakistani security forces and militants killed.

Pakistani military said 25 paramilitary soldiers and police and 20 militants were killed in the fighting. But local police official Nizam Khan said 38 soldiers and police died along with nine militants.

Fighting was still ongoing Saturday afternoon,as Pakistan sent in reinforcements to drive the militants back across the border,the military said.

The militants chanted God is great! and Long live jihad! as they fought,said Capt Abdul Ghani,a member of the paramilitary forces.

The military blamed the attack on Pakistani Taliban fighters and their Afghan allies who have taken sanctuary in the Afghan districts of Nuristan and Kunar across the border from Chitral.

Maj Mohammad Ayub Hassainkhail,deputy border police commander in eastern Afghanistan,denied the attack came from his side of the border.

We have officers all along the border area and we havent seen any movement of the insurgents across the border, said Hassainkhail.