Pakistan Says 40 Militants, 6 Soldiers Killed in Attack in Northwest

  11 January 2009

Military officials in Pakistan say six soldiers and 40 militants were killed overnight in an attack on a paramilitary fort near the border with Afghanistan.

Pakistan's military said most of the attackers came from the Afghan side of the border, and were joined by local Taliban fighters in the northwestern Mohmand tribal area, a center of Taliban and al-Qaida activity.

Security officials say gun battles raged for several hours before the attackers fled.  Officials estimate that about 600 militants took part in the attack.

Pakistani authorities say seven soldiers were wounded in the clashes, and that the paramilitary Frontier Corps inflicted heavy casualties on the militants.

Meanwhile, officials in South Waziristan say suspected militants abducted local government official Amir Latif today.  

Police say gunmen stopped the official's convoy, bundled him in their vehicle and drove off.  

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP. 

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