Pakistani forces seeking to conquer a stronghold of militants near the border with Afghanistan killed 15 insurgents in ongoing clashes, officials said Monday. There was no word of casualties on the government side, the Associated Press reported. U.S. officials have praised the operation in Bajur, which Pakistan's army says has been serving as a sanctuary for insurgents fighting on both sides of the frontier. Fazl Rabi, a local police official, said troops repelled an overnight attack by 50 militants on a camp about 6 miles (10 kilometers) north of Khar, Bajur's main town. Rabi said militants also attacked paramilitary troops before dawn in the Tang Khata area of Bajur. Rabi and another government official counted a total of 15 militants killed and more than a dozen wounded in overnight clashes. Two intelligence officials said three troops died in fighting in the past two days.
