Islamabad ( CNN ) -- More than 100 Taliban fighters crossed over from Afghanistan and attacked three Pakistani military posts Sunday night , killing at least eight soldiers , Pakistani military officials said . At least 15 Taliban fighters were killed in firefights that followed the attacks in the district of Upper Dir in northwest Paksitan , Colonel Wasim Ahmed told CNN . Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told CNN the Afghan Taliban carried out the attacks . The Pakistani Taliban helped with reconnaissance and information before the attack , Ehsan said . Three other Pakistani military officials confirmed the attack but asked not to be named because they are not authorized to speak to the media on the record . Sunday 's attacks were the latest in a series of cross-border assaults from regions in eastern Afghanistan where U.S. troops began pulling out last year . In 2011 , cross-border attacks by militants killed scores of Pakistani soldiers and increased tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan . Kabul and Islamabad have long accused one another of not doing enough to secure the border . Washington has almost always sided with Afghanistan in the finger-pointing , often blaming some of the deadliest attacks against western targets in Afghanistan on militants based in Pakistan 's mostly ungoverned tribal region . Deadly standoff ends at Afghan hotel ; hostages freed after several hours . 2 children among dead in Pakistan blasts . Journalist Aamir Iqbal contributed to this report .
The attack was carried out by more than 100 Taliban fighters from Afghanistan , officials said . At least 15 Taliban fighters are killed in ensuing clashes . The attacks are the latest in a series of cross - border assaults .