| Pakistani security forces have killed four al Qaeda-linked Uzbek militants in a tribal region bordering Afghanistan, officials have said. Another foreigner and a Pakistani were also captured in the raid on a hideout near North Waziristan's capital town of Miranshah. The operation coincided with a big assault on the other side of the border by US helicopter gunships and hundreds of Afghan and US-led troops. A government official said the men were thought to have been among a large group of militants pursued by the military since March in neighbouring South Waziristan. The latest operations coincided with a visit to Pakistan by Afghan President Hamid Karzai. He is expected to urge Pakistan to step up operations against militants in the border region ahead of his October 9 bid for re-election. |