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Government troops advance into rebel territory in Pakistan

Government forces advanced into a militant stronghold in northwestern Pakistan yesterday, a day after troops regained control of a key road tunnel in fighting that left dozens of suspected rebels dead, an official said.

Paramilitary troops, backed by helicopters and tanks, were moving into the outskirts of the town of Dara Adam Khel, near the road tunnel that troops had wrested from militants' control, a security official said on condition of anonymity because he was unauthorized to speak to the media.

Insurgents had blocked the Indus Highway, a crucial north-south road, and seized the tunnel through a mountain near Dara Adam Khel in the North West Frontier Province. The army said on Sunday that security forces regained control of the tunnel after "fierce fighting" that left 24 militants dead.

No fresh fighting was reported in the area yesterday.

But in an overnight militant attack in the nearby Orakzai tribal area, three paramilitary troopers were killed when their post was targeted with rockets and assault rifle fire, the security official said.

Pakistan -- a key ally of the US in its war on terror -- has deployed nearly 100,000 security forces to its border with Afghanistan to hunt down the militants.

But in the past few weeks, militants have stepped up attacks on government forces, mainly in the tribal regions, where troops have fought battles with fighters in the past.

Security officials have said that Arab, Central Asian and Afghan militants -- allegedly tied to the Taliban and al-Qaeda -- operate in the tribal hinterlands, where Osama bin Laden and his top deputy Ayman al-Zawahri are also believed to be hiding.

A recent US intelligence report indicated that al-Qaeda may be regrouping in the Pakistani tribal regions and American officials have expressed concern over al-Qaeda safe havens in the Pakistani border regions.

The Pentagon has said that it has fewer than 100 troops in Pakistan, including personnel who are training Pakistan's paramilitary Frontier Corps in the tribal region.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and his government have rejected talk by US officials that American forces might be allowed to hunt down militants on Pakistani soil.

A military statement said on Sunday that the Pakistan army has been benefiting in recent years "from the experience of allied armed forces in the fields of counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations" but it will not allow foreign forces to operate inside Pakistan.

"Only Pakistan security forces will conduct operations inside Pakistan," the statement said.
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