Militant gunfire kills two Pakistani soldiers near Iran border

ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani soldiers were killed in an attack on a checkpoint in southwestern Balochistan province near the border with Iran, the military said on Wednesday.
The attack took place in Tump, Kech district.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
“A group of externally sponsored terrorists opened fired onto a check post of security forces established in general area Tump, Balochistan,” the Pakistani military said in a statement.
“Security forces responded with all available weapons, in which terrorists suffered heavy losses. During the engagement, however, 2 x soldiers, Sepoy Naseeb Ullah resident of Kharan and Sepoy Insha Allah resident of Lakki Marwat sacrificed their lives.”
The military said the checkpoint near the border was established to prevent movement of militants into urban areas.
Pakistan and Iran share nearly 959-km long border begins at the Koh-i-Malik Salih mountain and ends at Gwadar Bay in the Gulf of Oman. Pakistan is constructing fence along its border with Iran which it expects to complete within a year.
Both Pakistan and Iran have repeatedly accused each other of allowing militants to cross their shared frontier and carry out attacks. Both deny state complicity.