69 Pakistanis Killed in Air Strikes, Clashes Between Army and Taliban Fighters, May 20, 2010

69 Pakistanis Killed in Air Strikes, Clashes Between Army and Taliban Fighters

May 20, 2010

Four soldiers, 60 Taliban killed in Orakzai clash

The Daily News, Pakistan, Thursday, May 20, 2010

* Over 200 Taliban attack security checkpost
* Airstrikes destroy three Taliban hideouts in Dabori, five killed

By Abdul Saboor Khan

HANGU:

At least 60 Taliban fighters and four soldiers were killed in cashes between the Taliban and security forces, military sources said on Wednesday.

More than 200 Taliban attacked a security post in Dabori area of Orakzai Agency on Wednesday, in which four soldiers were killed and 20 injured. The attack triggered a clash between the Taliban and security personnel, in which at least 60 Taliban were killed and 70 others injured, military sources said.

The sources said that the Taliban first launched rocket propelled grenades at the security forces check-post and then opened gunfire, adding that the forces quickly responded and repulsed the attack after a fierce battle, which lasted for around three hours.

Airstrikes: Also on Wednesday, jet fighters bombed Taliban hideouts in Dabori area, killing five Taliban fighters and injuring several others. Three Taliban hideouts were also destroyed in the airstrikes.

The clashes come as US National Security Adviser Jim Jones and CIA director Leon Panetta are in Pakistan to urge the government to step up pressure on Pakistani groups.

Over 700 (alleged Taliban fightes) have been killed during the past two months in the military operation against the Taliban in the Tribal Areas, official sources said.

The military had increased its attacks in Orakzai and Khyber in recent weeks after largely clearing Taliban strongholds in other areas.

At least 28 Taliban fighters said killed in Pakistan clash

Reuters, May 19, 2010, 07:11 am

Hasan Mahmood

More than 200 Pakistani Taliban attacked a security post in the northwestern region of Orakzai on Wednesday, triggering a clash in which at least 28 Taliban fighters and two soldiers were killed, officials said.

Government forces have stepped up their attacks in the Orakzai and Khyber regions of the northwest in recent weeks after largely clearing Taliban strongholds in other areas.

The Taliban fighters emerged out of forested mountainous area to attack the checkpoint in the Dobbari area soon after dawn, said a Pakistani government official in the region, Nauman Khan.

"About 200 militants with rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons attacked the checkpost, prompting a fierce response from the security forces," Khan told Reuters.

The security forces used tanks to repel the attackers, killing at least 28 Taliban fighters and wounding 21, he said.

There was no independent confirmation of the casualty toll and Taliban spokesmen were not immediately available for comment.

A roadside bomb killed 12 people, including three policemen, in the northwestern town of Dera Ismail Khan on Tuesday.

(Writing by Augustine Anthony; Editing by Robert Birsel and Jerry Norton)

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