Suicide car bombing kills four soldiers in Pakistan

A suspected Islamic militant drove his explosive-laden car into a military convoy in northwestern Pakistan Friday, killing four soldiers and wounding six more, officials said.

The attack happened on a road near Miran Shah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal region bordering Afghanistan, said a local security official on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media.

Pakistan's military confirmed the attack, and said it was trying to get more information.

The official said troops rushed from Miran Shah to the scene and that authorities were trying to cordon off the area to catch any accomplices.

The dead and injured were taken to a nearby hospital, he said.

Hours earlier, rebels fired several rockets at a military checkpoint in Miran Shah, wounding two soldiers, the official said.

Pakistan is a key ally of the United States in its war on terror, and has deployed about 90,000 troops in the border region in an effort to contain al-Qaida and Taliban militants and their local supporters, who often target security forces.

The latest attack came two days after a rocket attack killed four soldiers in Bannu, a troubled town just east of North Waziristan.

Violence has surged in North and neighboring South Waziristan since July, when militants scrapped a September 2006 peace deal after accusing the government of violating the agreement by deploying more troops and targeting their hideouts.