HANGU: At least five soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, and 31 Taliban, were killed in fighting and airstrikes in Orakzai Agency on Friday, according to officials.
“In the Kalaya area of Orakzai, terrorists attacked and captured a security post. Security forces counterattacked and recaptured the post... 21 Taliban and five security personnel were killed in the fighting,” said a military statement.
Orakzai Political Agent Riaz Mehsud confirmed the death of the lieutenant colonel. He said troops were advancing towards Taliban-held areas.
The officials said sixteen wounded soldiers were airlifted to a military hospital in Kohat.
Uzbeks, Arabs: “Those killed in the fighting were mostly Uzbek and Arabs. We have their bodies,” FC commander Major General Tariq Khan was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
Locals said “around 150 Taliban” attacked the base camp in Kalaya.
“They attacked from three sides,” the Reuters news agency quoted government official Khaista Rehman as saying.
Meanwhile, security officials said fighter jets pounded Taliban hideouts and training centres in Dabori, Mamozai, Khadezai and Ghaljo, killing 10 Taliban.
Five battalions uniting the army, the FC and paramilitary police have launched the multi-pronged assault in Orakzai Agency, which is “progressing well”, according to officials.
Orakzai is a former bastion of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Hakeemullah Mehsud, whom US officials believe probably died in a US drone attack last January, but the military said there was no evidence he was in the area.
US officials have praised Pakistan for launching assaults against the Taliban, but also want the military to crack down on groups who attack NATO troops in Afghanistan. This week, Pakistan and the US held high-profile talks in Washington, designed to forge a closer relationship between the two countries.
Army chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani also attended the talks, underscoring the twin military and civilian tracks to the relationship that has seen the US Congress pass a $7.5 billion aid bill for Pakistan.
Source: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\03\27\story_27-3-2010_pg7_2
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