Gunmen linked with Islamic State killed three Pakistani soldiers, officials said Monday, in the first attack ever by the militant group based in Syria and Iraq. Several dozen gunmen armed with grenades and assault rifles attacked an army convoy in Orakzai tribal district on Saturday night, military officials told dpa on condition of anonymity. A soldier was killed in the combat and two more succumbed to their injuries at a hospital later, the officials said.
A spokesman for the Islamic State group claimed responsibility and said they would continue targeting the military.
"We killed the soldiers, seized ammunition and torched army vehicles," Shahidullah Shahid said. "We will continue that."
It was the first known attack in Pakistan by the Islamic State group, which controls large areas of Syria and Iraq.
The group has been seeking influence in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the region that was dominated by al-Qaeda and the Taliban for more than a decade.
A spokesman for IS earlier this year named Hafiz Saeed Khan, a disgruntled leader of Pakistani Taliban in Orakzai, as leader of the group for the region. Analyst said the surprising entry of IS into the violent region would further complicate security problems for Pakistan and Afghanistan.