Pakistani soldiers cordon-off the site of a suicide car bombing in Bannu.

Story highlights

NEW: The attack has killed six Pakistani soldiers and wounded 18, a police official says

The Taliban say the attack was in revenge for the killing of their fighters

The attack occurred along Pakistan's volatile border region near Afghanistan

A suicide car bomber targeted a Pakistani military housing area, an official says

CNN  — 

The Taliban are claiming responsibility for a suicide car bombing Saturday that struck a military housing area in northwest Pakistan, a spokesman for the group said.

The attack, which authorities say killed six Pakistani soldiers, was “revenge” for the killing of the group’s fighters, Ihsanullah Ihsan, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, told CNN by telephone.

The attack occurred when the explosive-laden car rammed into a house in the city of Bannu, a senior police official told CNN.

The house is used by Pakistani soldiers to rest and relax, said the police chief, Gul Syed Afridi.

He said 18 soldiers were wounded. About 100 soldiers were at the house at the time of the explosion, he said.

The attack comes as Pakistan’s military is under fire by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for what he has claimed are military plots to topple the government.

The Pakistani military has denied Gilani’s claims.

Journalist Saboor Khattack contributed to this report.