Mar 24, 2010

14 Taliban Killed By Pakistan Forces

14 Taliban Killed By Pakistan Forces:ISLAMABAD: At least 14 insurgents were killed and 15 more injured Wednesday in clashes with security forces and airstrikes targeting their hideouts in Pakistan's tribal region near the Afghan border, a government official said.

The clashes in the Orakzai tribal district came as military and paramilitary troops, backed by tanks and artillery, are carrying out an offensive to clear Taleban and Al-Qaeda lairs and training camps.

An intelligence official said the military used artillery and jet fighters to target Taleban positions in Sultan Zai and two other villages as the foot soldiers engaged in ground battles.

"According to the information we are receiving from these areas, at least 14 terrorists are dead while 15 more are injured," said the official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

One soldier was also injured, the official said.

Fazalur Rehman, a spokesman of the paramilitary Frontier Corps, confirmed the fighting was taking place but said he did not have detailed information on the clashes.

"We are targeting the terrorists who have fled security operations in the South Waziristan and Bajaur districts," he said. "Orakzai Agency has become a major hiding place for those fugitive terrorists."

Pakistan has launched a series of military assaults in Bajaur since 2008, and thousands of troops moved into the Taleban heartland of South Waziristan in mid-October.

The government forces have regained control of most of the territory in both districts, but thousands of Islamist fighters have fled to the neighboring districts of Orakzai and Kurram.

Besides the Pakistani offensives, the United States is also targeting militant hideouts with missile strikes by pilotless aircraft in the tribal region.

One of these drones fired two missiles late Tuesday on a residential apartment in a market in Miran Shah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal district.

A local security official said the missile strike killed five militants and injured three more. "Three of those killed were foreigners," the official said.

Pakistani authorities use the term "foreigner" to refer to Al-Qaeda militants of Arab or Central Asian origin.


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