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Dozens killed in new clashes in northwest Pakistan
Three soldiers and 29 militants died in new clashes in Pakistan's volatile northwest, as two Afghan men accused of spying for the US were murdered and their bodies dumped on the Pakistani side of the border, officials said.
- AP
- Published: 08:35 November 9, 2008
Islamabad: Three soldiers and 29 militants died in new clashes in Pakistan's volatile northwest, as two Afghan men accused of spying for the US were murdered and their bodies dumped on the Pakistani side of the border, officials said.
The three Pakistani soldiers died when militants fired on them in the Swat valley, a military statement said on Saturday. Troops returned fire, killing 10 insurgents. Five more insurgents were killed in clashes elsewhere in the restive valley.
In the nearby Bajur region, Pakistani warplanes bombed suspected militant bases in four different areas, killing an estimated 14 rebels, said Jamil Khan, a government official in the area.
Police found the bullet-ridden bodies of the alleged spies on Saturday in the North Waziristan tribal region after a tip from residents, police official Gul Marjan said.
Each of the bodies had a note pinned to it reading, "See the fate of this man. He was an American spy," Marjan said. The notes said the men were from the neighbouring Afghan province of Khost.
The killings suggest Taliban and Al Qaida militants are on the lookout for spies in Pakistan's wild border belt as the frequency of suspected American missile strikes on their hide-outs increases.
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