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50 militants killed in surging Bajaur clashes

* Officials say dead include ‘important commanders and foreigners’

KHAR: Troops killed up to 50 militants including foreign fighters in the Bajaur tribal agency on Wednesday, amid an upsurge in Taliban-inspired bloodshed, security officials said.

In the most serious incident, troops rained fire from guns and artillery on militants holed up in a health centre, killing 30 and wounding many more, military spokesman Maj Murad Khan told AP.

“Security forces killed 25-30 militants, including some important commanders and foreigners in Bajaur’s Raghan region,” a security official told AFP.

Security forces assessed the toll with the help of intercepted radio traffic among the insurgents, Maj Murad said, but spokesmen for the militants could not be reached to confirm the report.

In another clash on Wednesday, helicopter gunships and aircraft pounded militant hideouts in Loyesam, Charmang and Ghonday areas of agency headquarters Khar, and Rahgan, Aupusht and Dherai area of tehsil Salarzai, killing eight rebels and wounding 12 others, other security officials said.

Police said eight militants died and 10 were wounded when government forces fired on suspect vehicles in two areas of Bajaur early Wednesday, though the reported casualties could not be verified independently.

According to witnesses, fresh military reinforcements have arrived in Nawagai tehsil of Bajaur.

Shops, schools and business and commercial centres in the agency remained closed.

Troops are engaged in bloody offensives against extremists in the region –considered a launchpad for Taliban operations into neighbouring Afghanistan. Officials say hundreds of militants have died in the weeks-old operation, while residents say civilians have also been killed. About 200,000 people have fled to safer areas. staff report/agencies

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