Clashes leave at least 20 dead in NW Pakistan

KHAR, Pakistan — Clashes between security forces and militants left at least 20 people dead in a region of northwest Pakistan that the army claimed to have cleared of insurgents earlier this year, government officials said Friday.

The violence in the Bajur region underscores the difficulties Islamabad faces as it seeks to root out insurgents from the tribal belt along the Afghan border where al-Qaida and Taliban militants have long enjoyed a safe haven.

The deadliest fighting took place in the village of Chinnar in the Charmang Valley, where Taliban militants ambushed an army convoy Friday afternoon, said Jamil Khan, a local government official. Four insurgents and two soldiers were killed in the attack.

Two hours later, the military pounded the area with helicopter gunships and artillery, killing 10 more militants, Khan said.

Access to the region is restricted and it was not possible to independently verify the account.

The attack comes fewer than 24 hours after dozens of militants overran a police post and killed four officers in the city of Khar, said Adalat Khan, a government official.

Khar is the main town in Bajur and was heavily damaged in the army offensive to retake it.

The Pakistani army said in March a six-month offensive in Bajur had defeated the militants in their Bajur stronghold, which lies just next door to the insurgency-ravaged Afghan region of Kunar. But after a long lull, there has been an uptick in small-scale assaults on government forces in the Bajur area.

The United States and Pakistan’s other Western allies are pushing Islamabad to undertake sustained action against extremists blamed for scores of attacks that are destabilizing the country as well as neighboring Afghanistan.

Two months ago, the army launched an offensive in the Swat Valley after Taliban militants violated the terms of a cease-fire and began advancing into areas close to the capital. The army claims to have cleared nearly all the valley and killed more than 1,700 insurgents.

On Thursday, the government announced a plan to allow some 2 million people who fled the offensive to return home next week, saying the region was now secure and essential services restored. The refugees have stayed in crowded camps and in homes just south of the northwestern region.

It remains unclear how quickly they will return, but anecdotal accounts from refugees in recent days suggest most were eager to go home but short of money. The government has promised to give cash to those returning.