Pakistani helicopter gunships have attacked militant hideouts in a tribal region along the Afghan border.
Officials
say at least 25 pro-Taliban militants and seven paramilitary soldiers
have been killed so far in fighting that broke out Wednesday in the
Bajaur tribal region.
The Bajaur region is a known haven for
Taliban and al-Qaida militants, and officials suspect they use the area
as a base for attacks in neighboring Afghanistan.
Also Friday,
suspected Taliban militants killed three people and dumped their bodies
near Bajaur's main town of Khar. Officials say the bodies had letters
attached to them, saying the victims were killed for spying on the
Taliban.
Separately, police say militants attacked a police
station in Matni, near Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier
Province, late Thursday. One police officer and several militants
were killed in the ensuing clash.
Officials say militants also
blew up an electricity transmission network in Sheikh Mohammadi,
another area near Peshawar, cutting off power to thousands of homes in
the tribal region.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
