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Pakistan clashes with the Taliban near Afghan border Pakistan: Militant attack on anti-Taliban elders
(about 4 hours later)
Pakistani military officials say that hundreds of soldiers have carried out an assault on Taliban militants close to the Afghan border. Dozens of militants have attacked the homes of two prominent anti-Taliban tribal elders close to the Afghan border, officials say.
They said at least four security personnel and 20 militants were killed in the clashes in the Mohmand region. At least four were killed and four others, including one of the elders, injured in the tribal area of Mohmand.
Officials said the assault was a response to the latest attack by the Taliban on checkpoints in north-western Pakistan. Meanwhile, a US drone strike killed at least three suspected militants in a vehicle in the Kurram district, further along the volatile Afghan border.
A Taliban spokesman said 19 security personnel had been killed. Analysts say militants fleeing army offensives have set roots in the area.
Pakistan has lodged official protests with Afghanistan over cross-border incursions by Taliban militants. The tribal district of Kurram is an area rarely targeted by drone missiles, with some officials saying this is only the third such attack in the region.
Pakistani military officials said on Sunday that its soldiers were backed by artillery and air force support during their assault on the militants. Elders attacked
The raid on the homes of anti-Taliban elders happened in the Ziarat Masood village of Mohmand district, another area where the Taliban have been attempting to establish themselves.
A group of militants stormed the village and attacked the houses of Malik Ghazi Khan and Malikh Ghulab Khan, members of a local peace committee, which oppose the Taliban, a local official told the AFP news agency.
There have been frequent military operations in the area in an effort to combat the insurgents infiltrating the district. Establishing "peace committees", tribal groups opposed to insurgents, is a key part of the security strategy, correspondents say.
The attack comes just one day after Pakistani war planes bombed a militant stronghold in the region and also launched ground attacks against insurgents there.
Four soldiers and 20 militants were killed in the clashes, officials say, adding that Sunday's assault was a response to the latest attack by the Taliban on checkpoints in north-western Pakistan. A Taliban spokesman said 19 security personnel had been killed.
Cross-border incursions
In recent weeks there have been a number of cross-border attacks in the north-west. Pakistan has lodged official protests with Afghanistan over cross-border incursions by Taliban militants.
Last week more than 200 militants, armed with mortars, rockets and machine guns, stormed a Pakistani village in Bajaur tribal region near the Afghan border, wounding at least two women.Last week more than 200 militants, armed with mortars, rockets and machine guns, stormed a Pakistani village in Bajaur tribal region near the Afghan border, wounding at least two women.
A similar attack earlier this month in Pakistan's Upper Dir area led to a prolonged clash and left at least 25 Pakistani troops dead.A similar attack earlier this month in Pakistan's Upper Dir area led to a prolonged clash and left at least 25 Pakistani troops dead.
Securing the long, porous border that divides Pakistan and Afghanistan has been a major challenge for the two countries as they try to battle insurgents, correspondents say.Securing the long, porous border that divides Pakistan and Afghanistan has been a major challenge for the two countries as they try to battle insurgents, correspondents say.
Many of the various groups along the frontier are closely linked. Many of the various militant groups along the frontier are closely linked.