Militants killed in Pakistan attack

Eighteen militants were killed in an attack on insurgents blamed for a wave of bombings in the main north-western Pakistani city of Peshawar, a security official said today.

Major Fazlur Rehman said troops backed by helicopters and artillery launched the offensive.

Peshawar and surrounding areas have seen a relentless wave of bombings in recent weeks in which more than 150 people have been killed.

Today's operation in the Bara region was the latest salvo in a broadening campaign against al Qaida and the Taliban near the Afghan border.

Authorities claim hundreds of militants have been killed, yet the assaults do not appear to have dented the insurgents’ ability to strike.

Maj Rehman, a spokesman for the paramilitary Frontier Corps, said the assault aimed to capture mountain heights and strategic locations from the militants who had been attacking Peshawar.

The recent attacks on Peshawar are apparently aimed at avenging an ongoing, major army operation in South Waziristan, a main militant hub 270km from Peshawar.

Pakistan is under pressure to crack down on militants and has won praise from its Western allies for the South Waziristan offensive. But critics say the army should do more against insurgent groups who use the north-west as a safe haven to attack Western troops in Afghanistan.

Journalists are banned from visiting the border region, making it impossible to verify casualty figures.