Pak Army Kills 60 Militants in Attacks

[unhappycamper]

Pak Army Kills 60 Militants in Attacks
September 23, 2008
Agence France-Presse

KHAR, Pakistan - Security forces backed by helicopter gunships and artillery killed more than 60 insurgents in northwest Pakistan in offensives aimed at denying al-Qaida and Taliban militants safe havens, officials said today.

The attacks come amid intense U.S. pressure on Pakistan to crack down on militants blamed for attacks both at home and on coalition forces in neighboring Afghanistan.

A truck bombing over the weekend at a luxury hotel in the capital Islamabad that killed 53 people underscored the threat extremists pose to the nuclear-armed nation.

More than 50 of the alleged insurgents, along with one soldier, died in clashes since Sept. 22 in the Kohat region, which borders Pakistan's semiautonomous tribal areas, army spokesman Maj. Murad Khan said.

He said the military had retaken control of a key mountain tunnel from the insurgents.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/pak-army-kills-60-militants-in-attacks.html