From correspondents in Khar | August 27, 2008
PAKASTANI troops have killed 19 militants in clashes near the Afghan border as the government struggled to combat an upsurge in Taliban bloodshed.
Pakistan's fragile coalition government, which pushed US ally Pervez Musharraf to resign as president on August 18 in the face of impeachment charges, is under heavy international pressure to tackle the militancy.
Violence linked to the country's role in the "war on terror'' has killed nearly 1200 people in suicide and bomb attacks across Pakistan in the past year.
The army said in a statement that 11 militants were killed in a gunbattle that broke out after a military checkpost came under rebel attack in the restive South Waziristan tribal region.
"Around 75-100 militants attacked a checkpost on the night of August 26-27. Security forces effectively repulsed the attack. Reportedly 11 militants were killed and 15-20 others injured,'' the statement said.
Pakistani troops have been battling Taliban and al-Qaeda militants for several years in South Waziristan.
Pakistan's lawless tribal regions have been wracked by violence since hundreds of Taliban and al-Qaida rebels fled there after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001.
Separately, Pakistani helicopter gunships pounded militant hideouts today in the troubled Bajaur tribal region near the Afghan border, killing eight rebels.
Pakistani forces moved into Bajaur, a hub of al-Qaida and Taliban militants, earlier this month.
"Helicopters shelled militant hideouts in the Salarzai and Nawagai areas of Bajaur tribal region today, killing eight militants and wounding 12 others,'' a security official said.
The three-week-old military operation has left more than 500 people dead and 260,000 displaced in the region.
US and Afghan officials say the rebels have sanctuaries in the rugged tribal border regions of Pakistan that they use to train, regroup and launch attacks on international troops in Afghanistan.
PAKASTANI troops have killed 19 militants in clashes near the Afghan border as the government struggled to combat an upsurge in Taliban bloodshed.
Pakistan's fragile coalition government, which pushed US ally Pervez Musharraf to resign as president on August 18 in the face of impeachment charges, is under heavy international pressure to tackle the militancy.
Violence linked to the country's role in the "war on terror'' has killed nearly 1200 people in suicide and bomb attacks across Pakistan in the past year.
The army said in a statement that 11 militants were killed in a gunbattle that broke out after a military checkpost came under rebel attack in the restive South Waziristan tribal region.
"Around 75-100 militants attacked a checkpost on the night of August 26-27. Security forces effectively repulsed the attack. Reportedly 11 militants were killed and 15-20 others injured,'' the statement said.
Pakistani troops have been battling Taliban and al-Qaeda militants for several years in South Waziristan.
Pakistan's lawless tribal regions have been wracked by violence since hundreds of Taliban and al-Qaida rebels fled there after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001.
Separately, Pakistani helicopter gunships pounded militant hideouts today in the troubled Bajaur tribal region near the Afghan border, killing eight rebels.
Pakistani forces moved into Bajaur, a hub of al-Qaida and Taliban militants, earlier this month.
"Helicopters shelled militant hideouts in the Salarzai and Nawagai areas of Bajaur tribal region today, killing eight militants and wounding 12 others,'' a security official said.
The three-week-old military operation has left more than 500 people dead and 260,000 displaced in the region.
US and Afghan officials say the rebels have sanctuaries in the rugged tribal border regions of Pakistan that they use to train, regroup and launch attacks on international troops in Afghanistan.
Source: The Australian
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