By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan

At least three security personnel have been killed and seven others wounded in a militant attack in the northwestern Waziristan Agency near Afghan border on Monday, officials said.

"Army convoy was on their way when some militants attacked a vehicle of the security forces in Dosli area of North Waziristan," a local political administration official, told Anadolu Agency on phone.

The injured soldiers have been taken to military hospitals in Bannu and Peshawar cities, he added.

Security forces cordoned off the area soon after the gun attack and launched search operation to apprehend the culprits behind the attack.

In a statement, outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

North Waziristan -- one of the seven semi-autonomous tribal regions in Pakistan -- has been a battleground between the army and the Taliban since June 2014 following the launch of a full-scale military onslaught.

According to Pakistan army, almost 3,000 militants have been killed in the operation that left more than 200 troops dead from 2014 to 2016.