Pakistani forces kill 40 Taliban militants
Pakistani forces killed about 40 Taliban militants yesterday, security officials said, as the top US diplomat for South Asia visited the volatile country for talks.
US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher met Pakistani officials after a series of US missile strikes into Pakistan's tribal regions that have strained bilateral relations.
Ties between the "war on terror" allies have also been tested by US special forces in Afghanistan launching a raid into Pakistan last month that killed several Pakistanis.
Boucher's visit was for "routine talks planned in advance," the US embassy said without giving further details.
He met interior ministry chief Rehman Malik on Saturday for "cordial and friendly" discussions, according to Pakistani officials, and was scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday.
It was unclear whether he would meet with President Asif Ali Zardari.
Pakistan is facing major economic problems as well as rising attacks by al-Qaeda-linked Taliban militants, and has been seeking support from allies to stabilise the country.
The US says insurgents striking international troops in Afghanistan are based in Pakistan's border tribal belt, and has stepped up its missile attacks since a new civilian government came to power in Islamabad in March.
Zardari has vowed zero tolerance against violations of his country's sovereignty amid the attacks, which have stoked anti-US sentiment in Pakistan.
In the latest clashes of Pakistan's own military operations against Islamic militants, jets bombed a hideout in the northwestern Swat valley, killing two rebel commanders and about 25 other men, officials said.
The two rebel leaders killed in the air strike were closely associated with pro-Taliban cleric Maulana Fazlullah, a security official said, adding an ammunition dump at the hideout had exploded.
The official said that intelligence had indicated a large militant gathering in the area, a stronghold of extremists loyal to Fazlullah, who has declared a jihad or holy war against the government.
Also in Swat on Sunday three militants and a soldier were killed in a Taliban attack on a security forces convoy, a separate security official said.
The mountainous Swat valley was until last year a popular tourist destination where many Pakistani city dwellers went for their annual holidays.
In the tribal district of Bajaur, which borders Afghanistan, a combined land and air assault killed at least 10 al-Qaeda linked Taliban militants.
The casualties occurred in fighting which began late Saturday after militants fired at troop positions, a security official told AFP.
The United Nations refugee agency recently said almost 190,000 people had been displaced from the Bajaur region in recent fighting.
Pakistan's military said in late September that the fighting had killed at least 1,000 militants since early August.
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