The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Khar

At least six Taliban insurgents were killed as Pakistani troops pounded suspected militant hideouts in the troubled tribal district of Bajaur on the Afghan border, officials said Sunday.

The artillery went into action late Saturday night targeting militants in Rashakai and Tang Khata towns in Bajaur, a hub of Taliban and Al- Qaeda linked militants, a security official said.

"The exchange of fire continued until dawn and we have reports that six militants were killed," the official said, requesting anonymity.

The two places, close to the troubled Afghan province of Khost, were considered militant strongholds in Bajaur where Pakistani forces launched a major offensive in August. Separately local tribesmen supporting a government assault against militants in the region killed three Taliban insurgents on Saturday, officials said.

The clash erupted when armed men from the Salarzai tribe torched seven houses belonging to Taliban militants or their supporters in Ghandai town in Bajaur, they said.

Tribal elders say that thousands of their men had signed up to fight the rebels in the area.

The army said last week it had killed 1,000 militants including Al- Qaeda's operational commander in the region, Egyptian Abu Saeed Al-Masri since early August. The military also admitted that the fighting in Bajaur was some of the heaviest since Pakistan joined the US-led "war on terror" in 2001.