Al Qaida fugitives kill 10 Pakistani soldiers
Suspected al Qaida fugitives killed 10 Pakistani soldiers today in a remote part of the country near the border with Afghanistan, the government said.
Two officers were among those killed in the four-hour gun battle, an Interior Ministry official said.
He said they came under fire during an early morning hunt for al-Qaida and Taliban fighters believed to be hiding in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan’s Paktika province.
He said the soldiers were tipped off by the FBI that al-Qaida men were operating near the town of Wana, 190 miles west of Islamabad.
The official said it was not clear if any of the attackers were killed or wounded.
He said Pakistani military helicopters were scouring the area, and that local tribal leaders had pledged to help in the search.
The official said al Qaida members from the breakaway Russian region of Chechnya were believed to be operating in the area, as well as Afghans.
Pakistan has deployed thousands of troops in the areas bordering Afghanistan to block al Qaida fugitives from fleeing US led-operations against them.
A Pakistani army officer said at least two attackers were killed. He said some soldiers were wounded and evacuated by helicopter.
The Pakistani dead included a major and a captain, he said.
