PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- Authorities in northwest Pakistan say an officer from one of the country's military forces has committed suicide after shooting dead at least three other Pakistani soldiers near the border with Afghanistan, although conflicting witness reports have surfaced from the site.
Officials told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal on January 9 that the military officer is thought to have opened fire on the soldiers at a military-run compound in the Khyber tribal district of northwestern Pakistan. They said the officer then turned his weapon on himself and committed suicide.
A Pakistani health official confirmed to Radio Mashaal that at least four bodies were transferred on January 9 to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
However, witnesses gave conflicting reports in comments to RFE/RL.
Three sources told RFE/RL the shooting took place at a military-controlled de-radicalization center where members of the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other Pakistani militant groups are held and trained so that they can be reintegrated into society.
The sources said a former militant opened fire at soldiers, killing three of them, before being shot.
The sources added that it was not clear if the shooter took the gun from one of the soldiers or was already in possession of the weapon.
Military officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
The media department of the military, the Inter-Services Public Relations, has not released a statement regarding the shooting incident.
Imran Khan, the police chief of Khyber district, told Radio Mashaal in a text message that the incident on was “army’s internal matter” and that military officials had not contacted police.
