Pakistani troops kill 31 suspected militants in latest tribal region operation, official says

Official: Pakistan army kills 31 alleged militants

PARACHINAR, Pakistan — Pakistani troops killed 31 suspected militants in a northwest tribal region Thursday, while an attack on security forces in a nearby district home to insurgents battling the U.S. in Afghanistan further heightened tensions.

The 31 alleged militants, along with one soldier, died in clashes in Orakzai tribal region, government official Jahanzeb Khan said.

Pakistan stepped up army operations in Orakzai in mid-March to root out Pakistani Taliban fighters fleeing an offensive in South Waziristan tribal area. But although the government has suggested Orakzai is the primary destination of the fleeing militants, a significant number are believed to now be sheltering in North Waziristan.

Despite this, North Waziristan has largely escaped recent Pakistani army operations. That’s because most of the militants there, unlike the Pakistani Taliban, are involved in attacks across the border in Afghanistan instead of Pakistan.

The U.S. wants Pakistan to take on the North Waziristan networks, but Islamabad says it does not have the resources to open another front. Critics suspect Pakistan doesn’t want to anger militants it may need to influence affairs in Afghanistan once the U.S. leaves.

Thursday’s ambush on the security convoy could be a sign the dynamic is shifting in North Waziristan.

The attack occurred in the Raghazai area and involved groups of militants hiding on both sides of a road, two intelligence officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media. They did not have information on any casualties, but said the area is controlled by Sadiq Noor, one of the few Pakistani Taliban commanders known to operate in the region.

Attacks on security forces in North Waziristan are not unprecedented, but relatively few have been publicized in recent months.

And like most of the information given by the government or military out of the tribal regions, independent verification is nearly impossible because access to the zone is severely restricted.

Associated Press writer Rasool Dawar contributed to this report.