Militants kill Pakistani soldiers

Militants in north-west Pakistan have killed at least eight soldiers, officials say.

At least 22 other troops were wounded in the attack on their convoy outside Hangu city, near the border with Afghanistan, they said.

Three militants were said to have been killed as the soldiers returned fire.

Hangu is in Pakistan's restive North West Frontier Province (NWFP), which has seen increased military activity from pro-Taleban militants.

Militants attacked the convoy as it approached a fort near the border with Afghanistan, firing rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles, local police officer Shakirullah Jan told AFP news agency.

There have been a number of sectarian attacks in Hangu and other towns in north-west Pakistan bordering Afghanistan recently.

Attacks have also risen in the NWFP capital, Peshawar. The government has sent in 5,000 paramilitary troops to crush the insurgency.

The action by security forces apparently follows a growing Taleban presence there.