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At least 44 militants killed in fighting: Officials
[Dawn] Pakistan security forces battled militants close to the Afghan border Friday in fighting that has killed 44 suspected insurgents over the last three days, a government official said.There was no independent confirmation of the fighting or the identities of the dead in Bajur, a tribal region where al-Qaida and Taliban have long had a presence. The Pakistan army launched a major operation in Bajur against the militants in 2008 that it claimed had cleared the area of militants, but clashes have continued since then. Abdul Kabir, the top-ranking official in Bajur, said several troops had been injured in the fighting in the Slarzai area. He said the clashes began Wednesday when troops began helping a council of tribal elders in evicting Taliban from the area. He said 21 militants were killed Friday, following 23 killed in the two preceding days. Pakistan has launched a series of offensives against militants in the tribal areas, pushing them back in some areas. But Western countries want the army to continue pressing the fight because Taliban fighters in Afghanistan use the region as base from which to attack Nato and US forces. Posted by: Fred 2010-01-30 |
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