| Five soldiers and 13 suspected militants were killed in fierce clashes in Pakistan's Bajaur tribal region, an official said Tuesday. The fighting erupted when dozens of militants attacked a paramilitary post in Nawagai, 25 kilometers west of Khar, Bajaur's main town. "Around 13 militants are confirmed dead in the clashes which continued for several hours," local administration official Mohammad Jameel told AFP, adding that five soldiers lost their lives defending the checkpost. Army helicopter gunships later pounded the area, targeting militant hideouts, he said. The official said helicopters had destroyed the house of Pakistan's Taliban movement's main spokesman, Maulvi Omar, but the compound was empty and no one was killed. |