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Pakistan: 90 rebels killed
18/01/2008 16:31 - (SA)
Wana - Pakistani troops killed up to 90 Islamist militants on Friday after the rebels besieged a military base and ambushed a convoy near the Afghan border, the army said.
Troops fought off a "large number" of insurgents who surrounded and attacked the Ladha fort in the troubled tribal region of South Waziristan, killing 50 to 60 of the attackers, the army said in a statement.
Militants earlier ambushed a convoy of security forces in the same region with rockets and small arms, sparking an hour-long firefight that left 20 to 30 hard-line fighters dead and four soldiers injured, it added.
The unrest in the lawless tribal belt, where Taliban and al-Qaeda militants have set up safe havens, has underlined US fears that Pakistan, its key ally in the "war on terror" is spiralling out of control.
The latest fighting came two days after hundreds of heavily armed militants overran another Pakistani paramilitary fort in South Waziristan, killing seven soldiers and leaving another 15 troops missing, presumed kidnapped.
The clashes at Ladha fort on Friday erupted when "miscreants" started firing rockets and small arms at the outpost in the morning, after which dozens of attackers started to gather around the building.
"Security forces used artillery, mortars and small-arms fire to engage the miscreants. Reportedly, 50-60 miscreants were killed and (the) rest of them dispersed," the army said in a statement.
There were no casualties reported by the security forces.
Separately, in the Chaghmalai area of South Waziristan, a convoy moving from the main town of Wana was attacked by militants, prompting troops to retaliate, the statement added.
"The firefight continued for one hour. Exact number of miscreant casualties is not known. However, it is estimated that 20-30 miscreants were killed," it said.
"Four security forces personnel received injuries and two vehicles were damaged," it added.
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