Militants kill four soldiers at Pakistani army base

Islamist militants armed with guns, hand grenades and rockets attacked a military base in southern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing at least four soldiers, army and security officials said.

Another five soldiers were critically wounded, the army said in a statement, adding at least three militants were killed in retaliatory fire.

An operation was underway to apprehend two other attackers, it said.

Several militants stormed the military base in Northern Balochistan in the early hours, three security sources told Reuters.

"Initial attempt of terrorists to sneak into the facility was checked by soldiers on duty," the army said, and added that "in ensuing heavy exchange of fire, the terrorists have been contained into a small area at the boundary."

Reporting by Gul Yousafzai in Quetta and Jibran Ahmad in Peshawar; Writing by Asif Shahzad and Shivam Patel; Editing by Christina Fincher