ISLAMABAD, 17 May 2006 — Twelve people were killed in gunbattle and shootout in North Waziristan yesterday. Nine militants and one solider were killed in a shootout with Pakistani security forces, officials said.
Militants ambushed an army convoy near Tal checkpoint on Razmak-Tal Highway in North Waziristan triggering a gunbattle that left nine militants dead, a security official told AFP. Three of the dead militants were believed to be Central Asians.
The shootout began when suspected pro-Taleban militants attacked the convoy, killing a soldier and wounding two others, the official added.
Eight militants died when Pakistani troops destroyed their vehicle in retaliatory strike and troops also captured an injured militant who died in hospital, he said. Pakistan military spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan earlier said that seven militants and one solider were killed in the clash.
The forces used gunship helicopters in their counterattack and besieged two houses where militants were suspected to be hiding, intelligence officials said.
Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao told a news conference in Islamabad that the security forces had taken bodies of the militants into custody and their identity was being established. He said one militant was arrested.
Helicopter gunships bombed suspected hide-outs after the attack, but there were no reports of casualties, the official said.
In a separate incident, gunmen opened fire on two ‘khasdars’ (members of the paramilitary force), Jannat Gul and Habibullah Khan, while they were conducting a night patrol in the main bazaar in Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan region, local officials said.
“One of them died on the spot and another died later in the hospital,” an official said, requesting anonymity.
The attackers managed to escape and stole the guards’ guns, he said.
In another development, tribal chiefs from North Waziristan met NWFP Governor Khalilur Rahman and agreed to resolve tribal disputes through Loya Jirga (assembly of tribal leaders).
