PAKISTAN: SEVEN SOLDIERS KILLED IN AMBUSH IN NORTH WAZIRISTAN

Islamabad, 20 April (AKI) - Seven Pakistani paramilitary troops have been killed and at least 22 other wounded in an ambush by Islamic militants in the tribal region of North Waziristan which lies on Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. The military convoy was on a routine mission when it was attacked at dawn on Thursday morning, south of Miran Shah, the regional capital of the North Waziristan, according to the spokesperson for the Pakistan army General Shaukat Sultan.

Reports say that the army spokesperson has indicated that the Pakistani security forces are responding and that the situation is fluid. Over the past month, the tribal belt has seen an increase in violence with officials saying that more than 250 people have been killed in that time period, most of them insurgents. However tribesmen say that many civilians have also died.

The Pakistani army has been trying to flush out foreign militants and their local supporters in this tribal belt.

Currently there are 20,000 American troops in Afghanistan but Pakistan does not officially allow them to operate across the border. Pakistan for its part has deployed 80,000 troops in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.