Pakistan clash 'kills civilians'

A fire burns after Pakistani forces shelled a suspected militant position near
Pakistani forces have been battling the militants for weeks
At least 11 Pakistani civilians have been killed after troops shelled suspected militant positions in north-western Swat Valley, locals say.

They say troops fired indiscriminately at villages near the town of Mingora.

The army said it had no knowledge of civilian casualties but confirmed that artillery had been used.

The fighting in Swat is the first serious insurgent threat from pro-Taleban forces in what is known as a settled area of Pakistan.

Meanwhile, a roadside bomb has struck a military convoy in the troubled north-western tribal area of North Waziristan, killing five soldiers.

Military spokesman Maj Gen Waheed Arshad said four soldiers were also wounded when the convoy was bombed about 30km (20 miles) from the region's main town, Miran Shah.

North Waziristan has been at the centre of fighting in recent months and the US says it is a safe haven for al-Qaeda.

The violence has been escalating since mid-July when a ceasefire between the army and militants broke down.

Radio off air

Hundreds of Pakistani ground troops have been fighting pro-Taleban insurgents in Swat, backed up by artillery and helicopter gunships.

Locals said the civilians, who included women and children, were killed in shelling late on Wednesday. They said houses were hit in the villages of Charbagh, Golibagh and Salanda.

After the bombing, more than 1,000 people held protests.

Military spokesman Maj Gen Waheed Arshad told the BBC: "No rockets were used in the exchange of fire which took place last night. The troops were only responding to fire directed at them. We have no reports of any civilian casualities."

Earlier in the week troops said they had recaptured a strategic mountain peak in Kabal district of Swat Valley and consolidated other recent gains.

An FM radio station run by the local leader of the insurgency, Maulana Fazlullah, has gone off air.

The army has reported more than 200 deaths since the beginning of last week, most of them suspected militants.

But there has been no independent confirmation of those figures.

Forces loyal to Maulana Fazlullah, including some foreign fighters, have taken control of a series of small towns and villages, where they want to implement strict Islamic law.

Until now the army has focused mainly on the largely autonomous Waziristan tribal areas along the Afghan border.

It is an alarming sign for the Pakistani authorities of how the threat from insurgents linked to the Taleban is spreading into previously peaceful regions, BBC correspondents say.

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