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Pakistani Airstrikes Kill Up to 35 Militants

Associated Press
Published | Updated

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pakistani forces killed up to 35 militants close to the Afghan border as the region's chief minister told a top U.S. diplomat he wanted to resolve problems there through dialogue.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher traveled Sunday to the city of Peshawar to meet North West Frontier Province chief Amir Haider Khan Hoti, according to a statement from Hoti.

Boucher's trip comes amid strains between Pakistan and the United States over suspected American missile attacks on militant targets on the Pakistan side of the border.

Washington wants Pakistan's government to do more to fight Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters based there for increasing attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan and targets within Pakistan.

Hoti told Boucher that the provincial government wants to "resolve all political problems through peaceful dialogue, but there wouldn't be any compromise on maintaining the writ of the government," the statement said.

Pakistani soldiers are battling militants on three fronts in the northwest of the country. In the past, the government tried unsuccessfully to make peace deals with the insurgents, drawing criticism from the United States.

The U.S. Embassy gave no details on Boucher's trip other than to say it had been planned for some time and that he was meeting a range of government officials.

In the latest fighting, Pakistani fighter jets bombed insurgents in the northwest's Swat Valley, killing up to 25, the army's media center said Monday. The bombs hit an ammunition dump, causing extensive damage.

In nearby Bajur district, seven more insurgents were killed when jets bombed their positions, said Muhammad Jamil Khan, the No. 2 government official there.

Security official Fazl Rabi said three militants were killed in other parts of Bajur when they tried to attack security posts.

It was not immediately possible to independently confirm the casualties. Reporters cannot visit the area because of poor security and government restrictions, and no Taliban spokesman was available for comment.