Seven Pakistani paramilitary troops have been killed and 22 others wounded in an ambush by militants near the Afghan border, military officials say. They were on a routine mission in North Waziristan tribal region, military spokesman Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan said. Attackers opened fire from mountains about 15km (nine miles) south of the regional capital, Miranshah, he said. The lawless tribal belt has seen fierce battles in recent years, but fighting has intensified over the past month. Security officials say they killed six of the attackers.
Pakistani forces entered the tribal belt a few years ago to hunt down Taleban and al-Qaeda fugitives who fled the US-led war in Afghanistan. Washington sees the border zone as a front line in what it calls its war on terrorism. But local tribesmen and Islamists have increasingly been drawn into the fight. | Ummm, because they're part of the problem? |
Officials say more than 250 people have been killed over the past month, most of them insurgents. Tribesmen say many civilians have died. |