28 killed in Pakistan two militant attacks

KARACHI, July 16 (Reuters): Two separate attacks by militants on an army base and a health centre in northwest Pakistan killed 28 people, including 10 soldiers as well as female health workers and children, the military said on Tuesday.

The attacks, both of which occurred on Monday, coincide with a resurgence of Islamist militancy in the northwest border region with Afghanistan, which last month prompted the government to start a counter-insurgency operation in the area.

In the first incident, Islamist militants attacked a military base in northwestern Pakistan, killing eight security personnel, the military said on Tuesday.

Militants targeted the base in Bannu, on the border with the tribal area of North Waziristan, which is known as a hotbed of Islamist militancy, and is close to the Afghanistan border. Security forces killed all 10 assailants involved, the military said in a statement.

"This timely and effective response...prevented major catastrophe, saving precious innocent lives," the statement added.

Among the dead in Monday's attack were seven army soldiers and one paramilitary soldier.