August 10, 2007
Pakistani Military Kills 12 Militants,
16 Soldiers Kidnapped
Islamabad
Pro-Taliban militants kidnapped 16 Pakistani paramilitary troops,
while 12 guerrillas were killed as security forces repelled an
attack on a checkpoint in Pakistan's restive tribal areas bordering
Afghanistan, officials said.
The soldiers from the Frontier Corps were abducted Thursday near
Jandoola, 50 km from Wana, the main town in the tribal district of
South Waziristan.
"Our troops have launched a search operation in the area," military
spokesman Major General Arshad Waheed said.
Meanwhile, military gunships bombarded a group of Islamic combatants
that was fleeing after an attack on a security checkpoint near
Miranshah, the main town in the tribal region of North Waziristan.
"At least 12 insurgents were killed, while five soldiers were
wounded," Arshad said.
Militants have launched a series of retaliatory attacks on
Pakistan's security forces in recent weeks after the military
stormed Islamabad's radical Red Mosque in July, killing more than
300 people.
The attacks took place as the country is under growing US pressure
to stamp out militant and terrorist bases in its tribal areas, which
are believed to serve as a staging area for raids against Western
and government forces in Afghanistan.
Speculation of a possible US strike in Pakistan has risen since the
US intelligence community reported last month that Al Qaeda was
regaining strength by seeking refuge in the remote and mountainous
tribal region of Pakistan along the border with Afghanistan.
"I have indicated to him (President Pervez Musharraf) that the
American people would expect there to be swift action taken if
there's actionable intelligence on high-value targets inside his
country," US President George W. Bush said Thursday at a White House
press conference.
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