Authorities in Pakistan are struggling to deal with a surge in violence. They say Islamic militants have driven a car packed with explosives into a security post in the northwest, killing 12 soldiers.

The suicide attack took place on Tuesday in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. A funeral for the slain troops was held the next day. The military says six militants also died in a gun battle. Reports say the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group claims responsibility for the attack.

A suicide bombing at a railway station in the southwest earlier this month killed 24 people. The separatist Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, claimed responsibility.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a new military operation earlier this week to tackle the rising violence.