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| Eighty killed in Pakistan clashes, 50 troops missing | | | Islamabad | Oct 8
At least 60 pro-Taliban militants and 20 soldiers were killed in fierce clashes between the security forces and rebels in the troubled North Waziristan tribal region, where around 50 Pakistani troops were reported missing today.
Military spokesman Maj Gen Waheed Arshad said army authorities had lost contact with two groups comprising about 50 security personnel in an area south of Mirali town.
"There were reports that there was some clash with the militants and the troops came under fire from the militants," Arshad told Dawn News channel.
"Then there was loss of contact and we tried to re-establish contact to find out what happened on the ground and to know the whereabouts of the (troops)," he said. "We are trying to locate these troops."
Arshad sought to play down the incident, saying clashes in the area between militants and troops were "nothing new".
Earlier, Arshad told reporters that around 60 militants and 20 soldiers had been killed in clashes that started yesterday morning after the military launched an operation against the militants in Mirali in retaliation for attacks on security forces by the rebels.
"The army retaliates when they are attacked," he said. Fifteen soldiers and 35 militants were also injured in the clashes, the most severe since the pro-Taliban rebels scrapped a peace deal with the government in July.
A Taliban spokesman, Ahmedullah Ahmadi, was quoted by local media as denying any casualties among the militants.
Tribesmen said the army used fighter jets and gunship helicopters to bomb the mountainous region and alleged that several civilians were killed and injured in the attacks.
TV channels said at least eight civilians, including three women and children, were killed in the clashes.
The army did not confirm reports of civilian casualties and Arshad said all the places where the security forces had launched operations were "legitimate targets from where the army is attacked".
Arshad said the clashes started yesterday when militants attacked a convoy of the security forces in an area 10 kilometres south of Mirali, a major town in North Waziristan.
The clashes continued throughout yesterday and the army had engaged the militants in two different locations. Helicopter gunships took part in the operations to bomb militant hideouts.
The militants killed were locals and there was no information that any foreign ultras were among the dead, Arshad said.
He also said that a jirga or council of tribal elders was underway near Mirali to put in place a ceasefire to recover bodies from the rubble of destroyed buildings. Local religious leaders made announcements to the people to carry white flags and attend the jirga.
Locals claimed the army had imposed an undeclared curfew in the area and that the main bazaars in Mirali and Miranshah had been closed. |
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