Pakistanis back Taliban assault](http://www.paklinks.com/2/low/south_asia/8343890.stm)
**Pakistani forces have captured the strategically important town of Ladha from the Taliban in ongoing clashes in South Waziristan, officials say.**According to the military, 28 militants and five soldiers have been killed in battles over the last 24 hours.
The army went on the offensive in South Waziristan on 17 October to root out militants behind a wave of bombings.
The latest fighting took place as gunmen wounded an army brigadier in a drive-by shooting in the capital.
‘Little resistance’
The BBC’s Syed Shoaib Hasan in Islamabad says that the military has made significant gains in its campaign in South Waziristan so far - and across the country there seems to be a consensus that the operation is the right option at the moment.
Our correspondent says that the military’s confidence is not without basis - despite a wave of militant attacks that has killed hundreds in recent weeks, most Pakistanis remain firmly behind the operation in South Waziristan.
The military says that it has advanced into the militant heartland from three directions and in addition to taking Ladha has also captured the militant-held village of Makeen.
“We have not seen much resistance as we entered Makeen,” a senior military official in the region who declined to be identified told the Reuters news agency.
“Our troops are now clearing mines improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and moving forward.”
There has been no independent verification of the military’s latest reported gains as journalists are not allowed into the area except on occasional trips organised by the military.
The latest fighting is taking place in the same area where Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud was killed in an attack by a US drone aircraft in early August.
The clashes are being closely watched by the US and its Nato allies fighting in neighbouring Afghanistan who argue that the South Waziristan area is a sanctuary for al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters.
In a separate development, police say that they have killed two militants in a clash after they refused to stop their vehicle at a checkpoint in the town of Mansehra, 90km (56 miles) north of Islamabad.
Two policemen were wounded in the attack, police say, and bomb-laden jackets and detonators normally used by suicide bombers were recovered.
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