Gunmen Kill 3 Soldiers in Northwestern Pakistan

Police in Pakistan say gunmen on motorcycles have killed three soldiers on the outskirts of the country's northwestern city of Peshawar, the capital of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The soldiers were traveling in a van when the gunmen struck Sunday. A senior police officer told the Associated Press the soldiers were returning from a military dairy farm after getting milk for officers.

The Associated Press reports that Jamaatul Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Taliban, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Islamic militants have been involved in similar attacks in the area, which is close to the Mohmand tribal region.

Last week, a doctor working on an anti-polio campaign was gunned down in the same area.

The Mohmand tribal region has long been a hub for Islamic militants. The Pakistani army has carried out several operations to rid the territory of militant hideouts, but the militants have repeatedly struck back.