Pakistani security forces battled al Qaeda-linked militants in the rugged mountain region bordering Afghanistan overnight, but there were no immediate details of casualties, residents said on Friday. "All night we heard explosions, artillery and small weapon fire," said a resident of South Waziristan's main tribal town of Wana, 400 km (250 miles) southwest of Islamabad. The military had no immediate commment. The army has been locked in a bitter standoff with foreign militants and their local tribal supporters since early this year. Residents said militants fired at least three rockets at a security post near Wana overnight but missed the target. The attack triggered a heavy exchange of fire and the security forces targeted nearby mountains with artillery fire. Pakistan says hundreds of foreign militants, including Arabs, Chechens and Uzbeks, are hiding in the semi-autonomous tribal region. The ethnic Pashtun tribesmen are providing shelter to foreign militants and resisting moves by the government to flush them out. More than 200 combatants, including dozens of security personnel, have been killed in two major operations launched against the militants this year.
