37 killed in Pakistan fighting

Heavy fighting has left 37 pro-Taliban militants killed, according to a statement from the Pakistani military.

An attack on the Ladha observation post in South Waziristan on the Afghan border was repulsed by security forces, with five troops killed and seven injured, Major General Athar Abbas confirmed.

"Deaths of 37 miscreants during the attack on observation post in the morning have been confirmed through interception of miscreants' communication network and own sources in the area," a military statement was quoted by the Xinhua news agency as saying.

A Taliban spokesman denied the military reports, saying ten troops had been killed and 13 captured.

The clash occurred at 01:00 local time (20:00 GMT) on Monday night, as skirmishes between the military and pro-Taliban militants intensify in the wake of the assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Baitullah Mehsud, a fugitive tribal leader based in South Waziristan, has been linked with Ms Bhutto's death by Islamabad and Washington, with government forces pursuing militants loyal to Mehsud and al-Qaida.

Maulvi Omar, a spokesman for Mehsud, told the Reuters news agency that the militants would increase attacks unless the government ceased its operations in Waziristan.

"We will target sensitive government installations in Islamabad and other areas if the government continues this," he said.

Two troops were killed and seven injured in an attack on an army camp in neighbouring North Waziristan, security forces have also confirmed.

The attacks came on the even of talks between General Ashfaq Kayani, the chief of the Pakistani army, and Admiral William Fallon, head of the US military's Central Command for the Middle East. End of story