At least 28 people, including four security personnel, were killed in two separate clashes between Taliban and troops and a suicide bombing at a police station in Pakistan's restive north-western region, dpa quoted officials as saying today. Two soldiers and nine Taliban militants died in gunbattles that ensued after dozens of militants raided a security checkpoint at Ferozkhel in the Orakzai tribal district near the Afghan border. "Some three dozen militants who were armed with assault rifles and RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) ambushed the security post late Friday and killed two soldiers while injured three more," an intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. The raid sparked clashes that continued until dawn on Saturday, he added. "Nine Taliban died and several more were injured." The official said a search and cordon operation in the surrounding areas resulted in the arrests of 22 militants. Separately, a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into a police station in Tank, the district in North Western Frontier Province and a gateway to South Waziristan Saturday afternoon. "Two policemen and three civilians, including a woman, died in the bombing," said Ijaz Abid, a senior police official. Abid said that eleven more people were injured while the explosion demolished the parts of the building.
