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| Pakistan clash 'kills civilians' | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| At least 11 Pakistani civilians have been killed after troops shelled suspected militant positions in north-western Swat Valley, locals say. | |
| They say troops fired indiscriminately at villages near the town of Mingora. | |
| The army said it had no knowledge of civilian casualties but confirmed that artillery had been used. | |
| The fighting in Swat is the first serious insurgent threat from pro-Taleban forces in what is known as a settled area of Pakistan. | |
| Meanwhile, a roadside bomb has struck a military convoy in the troubled north-western tribal area of North Waziristan, killing five soldiers. | |
| Military spokesman Maj Gen Waheed Arshad said four soldiers were also wounded when the convoy was bombed about 30km (20 miles) from the region's main town, Miran Shah. | |
| North Waziristan has been at the centre of fighting in recent months and the US says it is a safe haven for al-Qaeda. | North Waziristan has been at the centre of fighting in recent months and the US says it is a safe haven for al-Qaeda. |
| The violence has been escalating since mid-July when a ceasefire between the army and militants broke down. | The violence has been escalating since mid-July when a ceasefire between the army and militants broke down. |
| Radio off air | |
| Hundreds of Pakistani ground troops have been fighting pro-Taleban insurgents in Swat, backed up by artillery and helicopter gunships. | |
| Earlier in the week troops said they had recaptured a strategic mountain peak in Kabal district and consolidated other recent gains. | |
| An FM radio station run by the local leader of the insurgency, Maulana Fazlullah, has gone off air. | |
| The army has reported more than 200 deaths since the beginning of last week, most of them suspected militants. | |
| But there has been no independent confirmation of those figures. | |
| Forces loyal to Maulana Fazlullah, including some foreign fighters, have taken control of a series of small towns and villages, where they want to implement strict Islamic law. | |
| Until now the army has focused mainly on the largely autonomous Waziristan tribal areas along the Afghan border. | |
| It is an alarming sign for the Pakistani authorities of how the threat from insurgents linked to the Taleban is spreading into previously peaceful regions, BBC correspondents say. |