Pakistan says seven soldiers were killed and 17 wounded in a militant attack that targeted a sprawling army post in the volatile North Waziristan district near the Afghan border on March 16.
"The terrorists rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the post, followed by multiple suicide-bombing attacks, which led to the collapse of a portion of a building," the Pakistani military said in a statement.
Residents in North Waziristan in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province said a powerful explosion shook doors and damaged windows at around 6.15 a.m. local time.
The army said five soldiers died in the truck bombing and two officers in the shoot-out that ensued. All six assailants were killed and a clearance operation was still under way in the area, it added.
The army did not name the militant group behind the attack. But a newly formed militant group, Jaish-e Fursan-e Muhammad, claimed responsibility for the assault.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and paid tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives.
North Waziristan has long been a hotbed of militants operating on both sides of the border. Pakistani officials say attacks have risen in recent months, many of them claimed by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP).
After the Afghan Taliban returned to power following the withdrawal of the U.S.-led forces from the country, many TTP members have reportedly found sanctuary in Afghanistan, using it to launch more frequent attacks on Pakistani troops and civilians.
It has damaged the relationship between Islamabad and the Taliban-led government in Kabul, which denies allowing Afghanistan to be used by militants.
Pakistani military officials have previously claimed that their mop-up operations in North Waziristan cleared the area of Taliban fighters and other militant groups.