By DPA
Islamabad : At least 12 Islamic militants were killed Tuesday in clashes with the security forces in Pakistan's restive tribal area bordering Afghanistan, officials said.
"Around 30 to 40 militants in two vehicles opened fire on a military patrol this morning around 11 a.m. local time (0600 GMT) when they were stopped at Banda checkpoint near Miran Shah, the main city in tribal district North Waziristan," military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told DPA.
The troops returned the fire and killed at least 12 militants, while the rest took positions in the nearby mountains from where they exchanged fire with the security forces for several hours.
"Helicopter gunships aided the soldiers and destroyed two more vehicles of militants, who were approaching the battlefield to support their comrades," Arshad said.
Some combatants also died in this attack but their numbers were not confirmed yet, he said, adding two soldiers also received minor injuries in the clashes.
Meanwhile, six paramilitary troops were wounded in another incident when their vehicle struck a landmine near the town of Tank in the North-West Frontier Province.
Two of the injured troopers in a critical condition were taken to a hospital in Tank that borders the beleaguered South Waziristan district where local tribesmen and the military had fierce clashes earlier this year.
The Frontier Corps vehicle was travelling between the towns of Tank and Jandola.
Pakistani security forces have entered into a renewed conflict with the pro-Taliban tribesmen after the military killed at least 75 militants holed up in a radical mosque in Islamabad three weeks ago.
Tribesmen, who are thought to be supporters of fleeing Taliban and Al Qaeda elements, have also pulled out of a peace accord with the government of President Pervez Musharraf under which they were bound not to harbour foreign militants.
Islamabad is under great pressure from Washington to eliminate militants in Waziristan, with the serious threats expressed that US forces may pursue targets into Pakistani territory.
The government in Islamabad has denounced such threats, saying they could undermine Pakistan's support for the US-led wars in the region.