Pakistan Kills 21 Militants In Bajaur

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From 'Press TV' (Iran): Pakistani military forces have killed 21 more Taliban militants during the ongoing offensive in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. Backed by helicopter gunships, military troops attacked militants' hideouts in the troubled Northwestern's Bajaur region on Sunday, a Press TV correspondent in Pakistan reported on Monday. Also, several militants were injured in the attack.

Northwestern Pakistan along the Afghanistan border has been the scene of insurgency since 2001 when Islamabad joined the US-led war on terror. More than 1,400 people have been killed over the past year as a result of violence in Pakistan's tribal regions.

And in a related story...

Five Taliban Militants Killed By Artillery

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From 'AFP': KHAR, Pakistan — At least five Taliban militants were killed overnight when Pakistani artillery pounded their hideouts in a restive tribal region near the Afghanistan border, an official said on Monday. The five were killed in Siprai village in Bajaur district, where Pakistani forces have been engaged in fierce clashes with Taliban and militants linked to Al-Qaeda for the past three months. "It was intense firing which continued until late Sunday night, killing five militants," local administration official Mohammad Jamil told AFP.

He said that the artillery fire resumed on Monday morning in several areas of Bajaur targeting underground bunkers and hideouts of militants. The Pakistani military said last month that around 1,500 rebels and 73 soldiers had died while hundreds more militants were captured since the military launched the operation in Bajaur in August. Pakistan's tribal belt became a safe haven for hundreds of extremists who fled Afghanistan after the US toppled the hardline Taliban regime in late 2001 and have since set up training camps.

Pakistan has been accused by the United States and Afghanistan of not doing enough to stop militants crossing the border to attack US and NATO troops in Afghanistan. But Islamabad says its operation in Bajaur is proof that it is committed to crushing insurgents.