Pakistan kills 20 militants near Afghan border

by Dave Keating | August 22, 2008 at 03:59 am

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Pakistan has killed 20 militants in fighting in the lawless tribal area near the border with Afghanistan. The fighting is part of a larger military operation in the whole region. Next door in Bajaur, military helicopter gunships killed another five rebels, according to Pakistan. The military offensive in Bajaur in the last two weeks has killed more than 500 people.

Yesterday a Taliban spokesman said that the double bombing at a munitions factory yesterday was a retaliation for this large offensive in the tribal areas.

The violence is occuring as Pakistan prepares to elect a sucessor to outgoing president Pervez Musharraf.

Pakistani troops killed 20 Taliban militants Friday in operations near the Afghan border, a day after a double suicide bombing killed 64 people at a major arms factory, officials said.

Pakistan's shaky coalition government is struggling with an upsurge in Taliban bloodshed, with Thursday's attack near Islamabad being the second big attack since Pervez Musharraf resigned as president on Monday.

Police said fifteen rebels, including several would-be suicide bombers, were killed in return fire when they attacked an army checkpost near the restive town of Hangu on Friday.

"The army stopped a vehicle carrying these militants at the checkpost, but they hurled grenades and opened fire at the soldiers," local police officer Sher Bahadur told AFP.

"In the ensuing gunbattle, 15 militants were killed and one was arrested alive."

Chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas confirmed the clash but said he did not have details of casualties.

Taliban militants besieged a police station and kidnapped several government officials in Hangu in July.