Pakistani Taliban seize tribal town

By Alamgir Bitani

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani militants loyal to Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud captured a town at the entrance to the South Waziristan tribal region on Monday after a battle with pro-government tribesmen, police said.

At least six people, four tribesmen and two militants, were killed in the fighting for control of Jandola town, the gateway to Waziristan, they said.

"The Taliban have taken over Jandola," and taken seven tribesmen hostage, the area's police chief, Barkat Ullah, told Reuters.

A Taliban spokesman said nine people, including seven tribesmen, had been killed and the Taliban had abducted 10 pro-government fighters.

Waziristan is the power base of Mehsud, who leads the Pakistani Taliban, has close links with al Qaeda, and is accused by the authorities of being behind a wave of suicide attacks since mid-2007, including the one that killed former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in December.

The attacks have tapered off since a new governing coalition, formed after the February general election and led by Bhutto's party, opened talks with Mehsud and other militants through tribal elders to end the violence.

But sectarian violence and kidnappings have surged in the tribal areas and several parts of the adjoining North West Frontier Province in recent weeks.

Suspected pro-Taliban militants kidnapped 17 policemen on Sunday night from posts on the Khyber Pass, the vital supply route for Western forces in Afghanistan.