Fanatics overrun Afghan border fort

Hundreds of Islamic fanatics overran a remote military outpost close to the Afghan border killing or kidnapping more than 20 Pakistani soldiers.

At least 50 of the attackers were also killed in the raid in the South Waziristan region.

Seven soldiers from the garrison were confirmed dead and another 20 were still missing after the attack yesterday, an army spokesman said.

“About 200 militants charged the fort from four sides. They broke through the fort’s wall with rockets,” he said.

Fifteen men from the paramilitary Frontier Corps garrison managed to escape to an army base about 20 miles away.

It is the first time rebels have captured a government position since last October, when they grabbed several police stations and military posts in Swat valley, another volatile region in the country’s north.

Sararogha Fort, which dates back to the British colonial period, is one of several dozen posts located along South Waziristan’s mountainous border with Afghanistan. Government forces based there monitor and patrol the frontier, a main staging area for volunteers and the transportation of weapons crossing into Afghanistan.

The latest military setback will contribute to the impression that the government of President Pervez Musharraf is failing to contain a growing Islamist insurgency ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for February 18.

Opposition leaders blame Mr Musharraf for the upsurge in extremist violence.

“Musharraf is the root cause of all problems,” said Nawaz Sharif, a leading opposition politician and former prime minister.

“If he goes 95% problems of this country will be solved. There will be no bomb blasts, there will be no missile attacks,” Mr Sharif said.