Pakistan troops battle militants
Pakistan troops battle militants
Scores of soldiers have been kidnapped in recent days
Fierce fighting raged overnight between Pakistani troops and pro-Taleban militants near the Afghan border.
The army says up to 30 militants may have been killed in the clashes around Nawazkot just inside the border of the South Waziristan tribal area.
A local official told the BBC that 10 troops had also been killed. The army says they were injured.
Violence has soared since troops were sent in to oust radical Islamists from Islamabad's Red Mosque in July.
More than 100 people died in the operation.
US visit
The Nawazkot area is close to Ramzak, an important military town across the border in North Waziristan.
The militants are reported to have attacked a military post manned by 16 soldiers, sparking a battle in which the military called in army helicopter gunships.
"There were repeated attacks, which were repelled... We are hearing from local sources that militants suffered massive casualties," military spokesman Gen Waheed Arshad told the Associated Press news agency.
He says troops were only injured, not killed.
But a local official confirmed to the BBC that 10 soldiers had been killed, and nine troops injured in the clashes.
He said eight pro-Taleban militants were also killed.
The latest fighting coincides with a visit to Pakistan by the American deputy secretary of state, John Negroponte.
The United States is pressing Pakistan to take stronger action against Taleban and al-Qaeda militants operating from its border areas.
Kidnapping spree
There has been a spate of kidnappings in and around the tribal areas in recent weeks.
Scores of soldiers abducted a fortnight ago are still being held in South Waziristan. The rebels say they are holding about 300 troops.
On Wednesday, 12 more soldiers were abducted outside the town of Bannu, just over the border from North Waziristan in North West Frontier Province.
The militants have demanded the release of a number of prisoners and an end to military deployment in their area.
Last month, militants beheaded a kidnapped soldier and videotaped the killing.
Correspondents say that the kidnapping of so many soldiers, apparently without a fight, has been a major embarrassment for the authorities.
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