Pakistan security forces kill 15 Islamic militants (Roundup)

Jul 31, 2007, 14:15 GMT

Islamabad - Pakistani military Tuesday killed 15 Islamic fighters in hours long firelight, while a dozen security personnel were wounded and four other abducted in separate attacks by militants in north-west part of the country, officials said.

'Around 30 to 40 militants in two vehicles opened fire on a military patrol this morning around 11 am local time (0600 GMT) when they were stopped at Banda checkpoint near Miran Shah, the main city in tribal district North Waziristan,' military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

The troops returned fire and destroyed both vehicles, killing at least 15 militants and arresting two.

The rest took positions in the nearby mountains, where around 100 more pro-Taliban militiamen joined them and exchanged fire with security forces for several hours.

'Helicopter gunships backed the soldiers and destroyed two more vehicles of militants, who were approaching the battlefield to support their comrades,' Arshad said.

Some combatants also died in this later attack but their numbers were not confirmed yet, he said, adding two soldiers also received minor injuries in the clashes.

Meanwhile, six paramilitary troops from Frontier Corps (FC) were wounded in another incident when their vehicle struck a landmine near the town of Tank in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP).

Four FC soldiers were kidnapped by militants in Bannu district of NWFP, while four policemen were injured in northern district of Swat, when a roadside bomb hit their vehicle.

Pakistani security forces have entered into a renewed conflict with the pro-Taliban tribesmen after the military killed at least 75 militants holed up in a radical mosque in Islamabad three weeks ago.

Islamic extremists in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan have also pulled out of a peace accord with the government of President Pervez Musharraf under which they were bound not to harbour foreign militants.

Islamabad is under great pressure from Washington to eliminate militants in Waziristan, with the serious threats expressed that US forces may pursue targets into Pakistani territory.

Pakistani government has denounced such threats, saying they could undermine Pakistan's support for the US-led wars in the region.