A suicide attack kills 12 soldiers in Pakistan

Authorities in Pakistan are struggling to deal with an increase in violence. They say Islamic militants drove a car packed with explosives into a security post in the northwest, killing 12 soldiers.

The suicide attack took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Tuesday. The next day a funeral was held for the slain troops. The army says six militants were also killed in an encounter. Reports say the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group is claiming responsibility for the attack.

A suicide bombing at a train station in the southwest earlier this month killed 24 people. The separatist Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, claimed responsibility.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a new military operation earlier this week to combat the growing violence.