MIRANSHAH: Militants clashed with Pakistani forces in a troubled tribal zone bordering Afghanistan early Tuesday, leaving seven paramilitary troops and 14 suspected insurgents dead, officials said.
The firefight was one of the biggest for months in the rugged area, where soldiers are trying to flush out Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters who fled Afghanistan after the US-led invasion in late 2001.
It started when "miscreants" launched rockets at a checkpoint in Sarbandji village near Miranshah, the capital of North Waziristan region, shortly after midnight, a security official told reporters.
Seven soldiers died but their colleagues immediately returned fire, sparking a gunbattle that lasted for 90 minutes, the official said on condition of anonymity. Fourteen militants were killed in the exchange of fire including a local Taliban commander called Bilal, a military official based in the northwestern city of Peshawar said later.
"Some are locals and some are foreigners. We are trying to find out their nationalities and identities," the army official said.
The situation in North Waziristan remained tense on Tuesday and gunship helicopters hovered in search of militants, the official and witnesses said. The clash comes days after eight other Pakistani paramilitary soldiers and eight villagers were killed in two separate incidents in North Waziristan.
Pakistan said on Monday it had lodged a strong protest with the US-led forces in Afghanistan after the civilians in Saidgai village were apparently killed by cross-border gunfire on Friday.
On Monday, two Pakistani gunships fired on two residential compounds in Mosky village, 25 kilometres (15 miles) east of Miranshah, but there were no casualties as the places were abandoned, the security official said.
Paramilitary troops also searched homes in neighbouring Eamarki village on Monday and were continuing a siege of Hasokhel and Milagan villages in search of suspects wanted in last week's deaths of soldiers, he said.
