'Troops killed' in Pakistan clash

Ten militants and four Pakistani soldiers have been killed in a shootout near the Afghan border, reports say.

The Pakistani army said the deaths occurred at an army checkpoint in the North Waziristan region, and that four soldiers were also wounded.

But there is no independent confirmation of the claims.

Pakistan has seen increased attacks on the security services since a bloody battle with radical Islamists last month at the Red Mosque in Islamabad.

Army spokesman Maj Gen Waheed Arshad said the militants attacked a security checkpoint near Dosali, south of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan.

Gen Arshad said the gun battle lasted for about two hours in the early hours of Saturday before the militants broke off their attack and retreated into nearby mountains carrying some of their dead.