Islamabad , Pakistan ( CNN ) -- Hundreds of militants stormed military checkpoints in northwest Pakistan early Tuesday , killing at least eight soldiers and injuring 10 others , military and government officials said -- the latest in a string of attacks against security forces . Twenty-five militants died in the clash , according to the officials . The predawn attack took place over several hours in Kurram , one of seven mostly ungoverned districts in Pakistan 's tribal region along the Afghan border . The district has seen a sharp increase in militant activity with insurgents who have fled military operations in neighboring South and North Waziristan . Kurram has become the front line in the fight between Pakistani militants and security forces . The Pakistani army has launched several operations in Kurram to flush out militants , but parts of the district remain strongholds of the Pakistan Taliban . Last week , six soldiers and 10 militants died in another battle in the same area . More than 3,000 Pakistani soldiers have been in killed in the fight against Islamist militants over the past decade , the Pakistani Army says . The number of soldiers killed this month -- more than 50 -- is very high , but does n't approach figures in 2009 and 2010 , when up to 150 troops at a time were killed in one month at the height of military operations in Pakistan 's tribal region , a senior Pakistani military official said . Journalists Shaan Khan , Saboor Khattak and Nasir Habib contributed to this report .
The battle lasts several hours . There are Taliban strongholds in the area . More than 100 Pakistani soldiers have died fighting Islamist militants . A recent battle in the area kills two soldiers .