Islamabad - Two soldiers were killed Wednesday as hundreds of Pakistani troops launched a major operation against a pro-Taliban commander who has been blamed for the murder of ex-premier Benazir Bhutto in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan, officials said. More than 700 soldiers from the Baloch regiment of the Pakistan Army have begun an offensive against the hideouts of Islamic militants in the mountains of the tribal district of South Waziristan, a local security official said.
Several hundred paramilitary troops were also assisting them in the action.
The official who spoke on condition of anonymity said at least half a dozen tanks, heavy artillery and helicopter gunships were backing the government forces in the operation against the heavily armed followers of the tribal commander Baitullah Mehsud.
The military's chief spokesman confirmed the report. "Security forces are engaging militant hideouts and strongholds in three areas of the tribal district," Major General Athar Abbas said.
"The action will continue until the region is cleared of the militants' hideouts."
There was no word on the casualties in the ongoing clashes in South Waziristan that is believed to be a safe haven for al-Qaeda terrorists and Taliban fighters carrying out cross-border attacks on international forces in Afghanistan with the support of Mehsud.
Mehsud leads Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (Taliban Movement of Pakistan), an alliance of more than 30 groups of Islamic militants in the tribal region, and was blamed for ordering the murder of Bhutto, who died in a gun and suicide bombing attack.
His men were also suspected of being behind a rocket attack at a security camp in the neighbouring tribal region of North Waziristan on Wednesday morning.
"Two soldiers embraced martyrdom and six were injured in the attack," Abbas said.
Security forces retaliated with artillery and mortar fire and the insurgents managed to flee, he added.
The latest firefight comes a day after seven soldiers and 37 rebels were killed in the tribal area.
The militants claimed they had also seized 13 security personnel, including three commandos from the Special Services Group, a claim which was denied by the military spokesman.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Mehsud warned that his comrades would intensify attacks on security forces if the ongoing military operation was not stopped.
"We will target sensitive installations in Islamabad, including the headquarters of intelligence agencies, if the military does not stop its operation," Maulvi Umar told the Dawn newspaper by phone from an undisclosed location.
Washington has recently increased pressure on President Pervez Musharraf, a key Western ally in the fight against terrorism, to eliminate militant hideouts in tribal regions before the usual spring offensive by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
