Pakistani forces kill militants near Afghan border

Islamabad: Pakistani security forces fired on vehicles carrying militants in a volatile region near the Afghan border on Wednesday, killing eight, a police official said.

Fazl Rabi, a commander of the tribal police force in Bajaur, said government forces fired on vehicles in two areas of the border region on Wednesday morning.
Five militants were killed in one incident and three in the other, Rabi said. A total of 10 militants were wounded, he said.

He provided no further details. Spokesmen for the army and for militants in Bajaur could not immediately be reached for comment.

Tension is also rising in South Waziristan, another militant stronghold near the frontier.

An intelligence official said unidentified assailants attacked three camps housing paramilitary troops near the region's main town of Wana overnight.

No one was hurt, but authorities reacted by imposing a curfew, the official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Security forces using megaphones drove around the town on Wednesday telling residents to stay home, the official said.