Heavy cross-border fire from Afghanistan killed seven Pakistani soldiers early Tuesday at a checkpost in the restive tribal region of South Waziristan, the army said.

"Seven Frontier Corps soldiers embraced shahadat (martyrdom)," a military statement said. It was not immediately known whether the fire came from militants or from Afghan security forces.

The statement said the checkpost was northeast of Angoor Adda in South Wazirstan, bordering Afghanistan.

The latest attack came two months after a cross-border rocket attack by militants on a Pakistani checkpoint in Khyber tribal region, which killed at least four soldiers and wounded four others in August.

Pakistan's seven tribal districts near the Afghan border are rife with homegrown insurgents and are strongholds of Taliban and Al-Qaeda operatives.

Pakistan has been battling a homegrown Islamist insurgency for over a decade following the late 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan.
Source: AFP