At least 23 militants have been killed in fighting between pro-government tribesmen and Taliban insurgents in north-west Pakistan, officials say. The clashes took place in Ambar village in the lawless Mohmand tribal region, bordering Afghanistan’s Kunar province.
Mohmand in North-West Frontier Province is said to be a hub for Taliban.
In the neighbouring Khyber tribal area, militants attacked a tanker carrying fuel for Nato forces in Afghanistan. Two people died in the attack.
‘On the run’
“According to reports received here, a lashkar (traditional tribal militia) killed 23 militants and several others were wounded,” local administration official Asad Ali Khan was quoted by news agency AFP as saying.
Another official Mohammad Rasul Khan said three villagers were missing after the clashes between a 150-strong village force and militants, the agency reported.
“The lashkar has fought very well and militants are now on the run,” he said, adding that villagers had gone into the mountains to take on the rebels.
In recent months, tribesmen in the north-west have taken up arms to fight the Taliban alongside Pakistani troops.
Pakistan’s government has encouraged the tribesmen and groups have been set up in several regions, but they face stiff Taliban resistance.
Meanwhile, in the neighbouring Khyber, militants ambushed a tanker carrying fuel for Nato forces in Afghanistan.
The attack took place near the town of Landi Kotal on the main highway which links Pakistan with Afghanistan.
“Militants first fired a mortar on the oil tanker and then set it on fire,” local official Rehan Gul Khattak said.
“A gunfight broke out with paramilitary troops which left two civilians dead and three others wounded,” Mr Khattak said.
The Taliban regularly carry out attacks on trucks laden with supplies for Nato personnel in Afghanistan in Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province.