An improvised explosives device (IED) blast in South Waziristan on Sunday night killed three Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel, the Inter-Services Public Relations said.

The security men were on a cordon and search operation on motorbikes in Khan Kot Zarmina area of Toe Khula district when the planted IED went off, sources within the political administration told DawnNews.

After the blast, the area was sealed by security forces and a search operation was started to arrest the perpetrators.

FC personnel have been regularly targeted in the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas in the past few months.

Last year in November, three FC personnel were killed and seven others were injured when a roadside IED blast occurred near their vehicle in Bashirabad area of Peshawar.

South Waziristan is among Pakistan’s seven tribal districts near the Afghan border which are rife with insurgents and are alleged to be strongholds of Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives, among others.

The tribal region was once the main stronghold for the Pakistani Taliban. The military launched a large offensive against militants there in 2009 but insurgents still operate in the area and periodically stage attacks.