Militants kills 6 Pakistan troops near Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD — The Pakistan military says militants have killed six troops after crossing into the country from Afghanistan.

It also says 11 militants were killed during the fighting Sunday in the northwestern Upper Dir region.

Pakistan has complained that militants use parts of Afghanistan for sanctuary from which to stage attacks inside Pakistan. The charge helps Islamabad counter frequent US and NATO complaints that militants behind much of the violence in Afghanistan come from Pakistan.

Monday's brief statement from the military gave no details on the latest incident.

The Pakistani Taliban say their fighters carried out the attack but the statement doesn't say whether the attackers had come over from Afghanistan. It says Pakistani claims of militant casualties are false.

Both sides often release false or partial information about incidents.