By DPA
Islamabad : At least 12 people were killed and 26 injured in three separate clashes involving security forces, militants and tribesmen in north-west Pakistan, media reports said Thursday.
Three suspected pro-Taliban insurgents died while attacking a military checkpoint by the village of Tal in the Hangu district of the troubled North-West Frontier province (NWFP).
Twelve members of the Frontier Corps were injured in the incident, which followed a car suicide bombing of a checkpoint in Tal with six dead Monday, the Geo news channel and other media said.
In the Hangu district village of Zargari, nine people were killed and a dozen injured in shooting between local militants and a criminal gang during a tribal meeting to resolve disputes.
Further south in the tribal district of North Waziristan by the border with Afghanistan, two civilians were injured in an exchange of fire between militants and troops at a checkpoint near the town of Miranshah.
There has been a sharp increase in attacks on security forces in northwest Pakistan since government troops stormed a radical mosque in Islamabad in July. Local tribesmen also pulled out of peace agreements with the government in Islamabad and renewed hostilities.