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Taliban Fighters in Pakistan in Bloody Battle With Tribal Militia


Government officials and witnesses in northwestern Pakistan say Taliban militants attacked a tribal militia that supports the Islamabad government, triggering intense fighting.

Scores of people, possibly more, are believed to have been killed in the fighting near South Waziristan. The casualty reports cannot be independently confirmed, however, because reporters are unable to reach the area.

A VOA reporter in Peshawar says Taliban militants loyal to Baitullah Mehsud, the Taliban leader reported killed last week, attacked fighters commanded by tribal leader Turkistan Baitani, a government supporter. Reports from witnesses indicate about 40 homes belonging to Baitani's fighters were destroyed.

Turkistan Baitani told VOA (Urdu Service) his forces are fighting at several locations in a semi-autonomous area between South Waziristan and the town of Tank in northwestern Pakistan.

Baitullah Mehsud, the top Taliban fighter in Pakistan, was reported killed last week by an apparent U.S. missile attack on a hideout he was using in south Waziristan. Pakistani officials say they are sure Mehsud is dead, but they are attempting to conduct DNA tests to provide conclusive evidence. Some Taliban fighters have insisted that Mehsud is still alive, but they have not offered any proof of those claims.

Meanwhile, a bomb attack at a paramilitary checkpoint outside the western city of Quetta killed at least two passers-by Wednesday, and local officials in the northwest Bajur region said a land-mine explosion on Tuesday killed two boys and wounded a third.

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