9 Pakistani soldiers killed in suicide attack

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan

Nine soldiers were killed and five injured Thursday when a motorcycle suicide bomber exploded while targeting a military convoy in the general area of Jani Khel in Bannu District in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan, according to officials.

"The area has been cordoned by security forces and sanitization is being carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the area," according to the Inter Services Public Relations Department.

Security forces have been patrolling the area to ensure civilian safety.

Dozens of security personnel have been killed in fighting and suicide bombings, mostly claimed by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella of militant groups in Pakistan, in recent months.

Islamabad has accused Afghanistan-based militants of unleashing a new spate of terrorism in Pakistan, a charge Kabul rejects.