Pakistan soldiers die in Taliban clash

Three Pakistani soldiers were killed and at least 13 wounded when dozens of Taliban stormed a check post in a tribal town near the Afghan border, officials said Sunday. The pre-dawn attack was mounted in Baizai village of Mohmand district facing the eastern Afghan province of Kunar, local administration chief Maqsood Hussain told AFP. "The militants, believed to be more than 50 and armed with light and heavy weapons, launched an attack on Walidad Kor post, triggering a gunfight that lasted about an hour," he said. Three soldiers of the paramilitary Frontier Corps were killed and at least 13 wounded, he said adding that four militants were killed and an unspecified number wounded. A military official confirmed the clash and the casualties. The post is about eight kilometres (five miles) from the border. Mohmand is one of seven districts in Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt where Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked militants frequently launch attacks targeting police, government and security officials. Washington has called the tribal zone the most dangerous place on Earth and the global headquarters of Al-Qaeda, where Taliban and other Al-Qaeda-linked networks have carved out strongholds. Since US Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan last month, American officials have been increasing pressure on Islamabad to launch an offensive in the North Waziristan district to destroy militant sanctuaries.