ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Dozens of militants attacked a Pakistani security outpost Saturday in an area near the Afghan border, leaving 18 people dead and adding another trouble spot to the nation’s extended list.
Saturday’s attack in the northwestern Mohmand tribal region took place in an area where the military previously claimed it had driven out the militants and dismantled various mini-states.
The army said in a statement Saturday that about 100 insurgents attacked the Spinal Tangi post before sunrise.
“Sixteen militants were killed in retaliatory fire,” the statement read, while two members of the security forces also died.
The area is strategically important given its proximity to Peshawar, the capital of the North-West Frontier province.
Militants retain control of much of the tribal belt along the mountainous frontier, an area where some U.S. officials think Osama bin Laden is hiding and where, in some quarters, he still commands respect. Los Angeles Times
