ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON: Pakistan warned the US not to stray across the Afghan border into its territory after a gunbattle between the anti-terror allies that was praised by tribesman yesterday as a victory against Washington.

As if to underline the point that Pakistan can beat Al-Qaeda and Taleban militants without American firepower, a top general said an offensive in another frontier province had killed more than 1,000 suspected insurgents and predicted the region would be “stabilized” within two months.

Still, he also showed reporters photos of militant tunnel systems and trenches in Bajaur, suggesting more tough fighting ahead in an area that is considered a likely hiding place for Osama Bin Laden and other top Al-Qaeda leaders.

The violence that is roiling the Muslim, nuclear-armed nation showed no sign of letting up following last weekend’s truck bombing of the Hotel Marriott in Islamabad that killed 53 people.

Police raided a militant safe house in the largest city of Karachi, sparking a gunfight during which three extremists either blew themselves up or were shot.

A handcuffed man held captive by men and identified as a supplier of fuel and goods to US and NATO forces in Afghanistan also died in the explosions, said senior police official Aleem Jaffry.

Elsewhere, a bomb blast caused a train to derail in eastern Punjab province, killing at least four people and wounding several others, authorities said. The motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

Pakistan’s new civilian government is under mounting US pressure to crack down on militants, especially those sheltering in the border area where they are believed to plan attacks on coalition troops in Afghanistan. In recent months, Washington has launched a flurry of missile strikes and a ground assault on targets within Pakistan, infuriating both ordinary Pakistanis and their leaders.

In one of the most serious incidents yet between the two sides, US helicopters and Pakistani ground troops briefly traded fire Thursday on the border. The aircraft were not hit and no one was hurt.

On Thursday, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari addressed the UN General Assembly and warned that Pakistan cannot allow its territory to “be violated by our friends.” But Zardari struck a more conciliatory note yesterday during a brief appearance alongside US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. “I look at US support as a blessing. I look at the world support as a blessing to Pakistan,” Zardari said.

Pakistani government spokesman Akram Shaheedi urged US-led coalition forces “not to violate (the) territorial sovereignty of Pakistan as it is counterproductive to the war on terror.”

“It has been Pakistan’s policy that we will not allow anyone to violate our sovereignty, and we will continue to defend our territorial sovereignty,” he said yesterday.

In Washington, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Pakistani military leaders reassured him last week that they have no intention of using force against US troops along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Mullen said he has no reason to believe the Pakistan-US relationship has changed as a result of Thursday’s border clash. He said Pakistan naturally reserves the right to defend itself but is committed to cooperating with the US military.

“I’ve been given assurance by the senior military leadership in Pakistan that there is certainly no intent or plan to fire on (US) forces,” Mullen told a Pentagon news conference.

— With input from agencies