Pakistani officials say Pakistani security forces, backed by helicopter
gunships and artillery, killed 16 suspected militants on Sunday near the Afghan border.
Officials say at least 25 other al-Qaida-linked fighters were wounded during intense strikes in (the villages of Loi Sam, Rashakai and Tang Khata in) the Bajaur tribal region.
Pakistan says more than 100 people, most of them militants, have been
killed in a renewed military offensive in the northwest over the past
few days.
Last month, Pakistan's Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik said
the military would suspend offensives against militants in Bajaur
during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but reserved the right to
attack if provoked.
Pakistan has committed itself to fighting Islamic militancy in its
tribal areas, while discouraging the United States from undertaking
military operations on its territory.