Pakistani military officials say at least 1,000 militants have
been killed in a month-long operation along the Afghan border.
Major
General Tariq Khan told reporters Friday that at least five militant
commanders, including foreigners, were among those who have been killed
in the Bajaur tribal region. Khan said more than 60 Pakistani troops
also have been killed in Bajaur since the military launched its
offensive against Taliban and al-Qaida militants in August.
The
general said militants based in the tribal area have launched attacks
against troops in neighboring Afghanistan. He added that if the
militants lose Bajaur, they will lose everything.
Pakistan is
under pressure from Afghanistan and the United States to control
militants operating in its border regions. Friday, U.S. military chief
Admiral Mike Mullen called the problem enormously complex and praised
Pakistan's military for focusing on the border.
On Thursday,
U.S. military officials said Pakistani and U.S. troops exchanged fire
across the Afghan-Pakistan border. Admiral Mullen told reporters at
the Pentagon Friday he has received reassurances from Pakistani leaders
in the past, that Pakistan's military had no plan to fight U.S. forces.
Also Friday, police say three suicide bombers blew themselves up after police
raided their hideout in the commercial capital, Karachi.
Authorities
say the militants were believed to be members of the extremist group
Laskhar-e-Jhangvi with links to al-Qaida. Police seized explosives
from the badly damaged home and said the men were planning an attack on
Karachi.
And Pakistani authorities say a bomb blast derailed a
train in central Punjab province Friday, killing at least six people,
including children. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
