Explosive device kills 5 Pakistani soldiers in country’s southwest

The Pakistani army says an explosive device has killed five soldiers in the southwest of the country. It’s the fifth deadly attack on police and troops this year already, and comes weeks before Pakistan holds parliamentary elections. The troops died on Saturday in Baluchistan province when suspected militants detonated an improvised device on their vehicle. Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Separately, in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the army said security forces killed four suspected militants in operations on Saturday. Some senators are calling for a delay to the elections, scheduled for Feb. 8, citing security challenges.