Pakistani forces kill 24 militants in Bajaur

By Augustine Anthony

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani forces killed 24 militants as artillery and jet fighters supported ground troops fighting in the Bajaur tribal on the Afghan border, a paramilitary spokesman said Thursday.

NATO forces have launched "Operation Lionheart" recently to put pressure along the Afghan side of the border across from Bajaur and squeeze the Taliban and al Qaeda militants into areas where they can be attacked more easily.

Pakistani troops launched an offensive in Bajaur last August, and the military says more than 1,500 militants have been killed, while 73 soldiers have also died, though no independent verification of casualties is available.

The latest clashes erupted in parts of Mamond and Nawagai districts of Bajaur overnight.

"Twenty-four militants, including 11 foreign fighters, probably Uzbeks, and a local commander have been killed in exchanges of fire with security forces in the last 24 hours," a spokesman for the paramilitary Frontier Corps said.

Pakistani troops are also battling militants in the northwestern valley of Swat, and there is widespread expectation the next offensive will target the Mohmand tribal region.

Pakistan has been under pressure from the United States to do more to go after al Qaeda and Taliban militants in ethnic Pashtun lands.

At the same time, U.S. forces have stepped up missile strikes by pilotless drone aircraft against militant targets on Pakistani territory, angering Islamabad and straining relations between the allies.