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24 more militants killed in Pakistan's northwest

Af P, Ap, Khar
At least 24 Islamic militants were killed Saturday in fierce fighting with Pakistani government troops hunting Taliban fighters near the Afghan border, a security official said.
More than 150 militants have been killed since Thursday in different parts of Bajaur district, in an ongoing clampdowh on al-Qaeda and Taliban extremists hiding in the rugged region.
"Twenty-four militants have been killed across Bajaur in the latest clashes," the security official said, adding that helicopter gunships had destroyed several Taliban hideouts in the area.
The army has intensified ground and air attacks in an effort to flush out Taliban and local militants from the Bajqr tribal region,
Khan Mohammed, an area resident, said the military was
facing "unusual resistance" from militants.
"The exchange of fire between the army and Taliban is still continuing," he said.
Pakistan is a key ally in the US war on tenor and Bajur is believed to serve as a safe haven for Taliban, al-Qaeda and Pakistani militants.
The region has been the site of several suspected US missile attacks that have killed several al-Qaeda operatives, including close associates of al -Qaeda No. 2 leader Ayman al-Zawahri.
Although Pakistan has carried out several military operations in its tribal regions in recent years, the latest offensive in Bajur comes amid an increase in suspected US missile attacks in Pakista's tribal areas.
Pakistan has vowed to defend its territory since a US-led ground assault killed at least-15 people earlier this month, prompting Islamabad to lodge a strong protest
with the United States.
Pakistan's military and civil leadership and opposition parties are perturbed over reports that President Bush secretly approved more aggressive cross-border operations in July.
The party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said Friday the change in policy could make it hard for Pakistan to maintain the close alliance with Washington forged by former President Pervez Musharraf.
Pakistani forces have for weeks been targeting rebel positions in Bajaur, in a major operation that has seen nearly 700 people killed, mostly militants, and 260,000 displaced.
Pakistan's tribal regions have been wracked by violence since hundreds of Taliban and al-Qaeda rebels fled there after the USded invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001