2 soldiers killed in militant attack in Pakistan

Tribal militants launched rockets on a military post Thursday in a volatile Pakistani region near the Afghan border, killing two paramilitary soldiers and wounding another, a security official said.

Photo: 2 soldiers killed in militant attack in Pakistan

The attack happened before dawn on the outskirts of Miran Ali, a town in North Waziristan where military raids have killed an estimated 100 pro-Taliban fighters in the past week, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media.

The attack sparked a two-hour gunbattle in the village of Anghar, the official said.

The assault on the base in Anghar, located on the edge of Miran Shah, the region's main town, brought the toll of soldiers killed in the recent violence to eight.

It came a day after a delegation of elders urged President Gen. Pervez Musharraf to end military operations and give them a chance to pacify tribesmen who have accused the military of killing innocent people.

Musharraf's spokesman, Gen. Shaukat Sultan, said the president had promised to consider the proposal and sought the elders' help in evicting foreign militants and their local supporters from the region. The elders promised "full support," reports the AP.

I.L.