Pakistani forces battled al Qaeda-linked militants today in a remote region bordering Afghanistan, with the military saying more than 70 combatants had been killed in five days of fighting.
At least 55 militants were killed in South Waziristan, a mountain region 250 miles southwest of Islamabad, and security forces lost 17 men, Pakistan military spokesman Major-General Shaukat Sultan said.
"Most militants killed were foreigners," Maj Sultan said. At least three civilians were also killed, army sources said.
In a separate incident overnight, security forces killed at least eight suspected militants who tried to enter Pakistan from Afghanistan, an army official said.
The men were among a group of suspected militants riding in three vehicles who tried to enter the Angoradda area in South Waziristan.
Pakistan says up to 600 foreign militants, including Arabs, Chechens and Uzbeks linked to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, have been hiding out in the semi-autonomous tribal areas, protected by the tribesmen.
The army has sealed borders with Afghanistan in a bid to stop them fleeing or getting reinforcements.
Overnight, artillery fire boomed in the Shakai area of South Waziristan, where Pakistani forces were trying to flush out foreign militants and their local supporters.
Top al Qaeda leaders, including possibly bin Laden, are believed to be hiding out in the tribal region.
The army has said it launched the latest offensive in the tribal regions after attempts to negotiate an amnesty with tribesmen protecting foreign militants failed.