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23 militants killed in clash
14/01/2008 13:27 - (SA)
Islamabad - At least seven Pakistani troops and 23 Islamic militants were killed on Monday in fighting in a remote tribal area near the Afghan border, the military said.
The clash in Mohmand tribal district erupted when militants attacked a paramilitary convoy, Major General Waheed Arshad said.
"The militants attacked a security forces convoy and the forces responded with the help of local people, killing 23 of the attackers," he said.
The battle took place in a district that has seen none of the militant violence plaguing other parts of the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan.
It came after a major battle last week in nearby South Waziristan tribal district, when the military said it repulsed an attack involving about 300 militants, killing up to 50 of them.
The government has deployed 90 000 troops to the northwestern tribal districts to counter the growing influence of pro-Taliban and al-Qaeda militants, blamed for a recent wave of suicide bomb attacks across Pakistan.
President Pervez Musharraf has ruled out direct US military operations in the mountainous area amid reports from Washington that the Pentagon is considering the use of hard military power in support of CIA operations there.
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