Pakistani troops and the Taliban fought fierce battles in a militant sanctuary near the Afghan border, with both sides claiming early victories in an army campaign that could shape the future of the country's battle against extremism.
The offensive in South Waziristan was expected to be a key topic of discussion on Monday as US Senator John Kerry and US Central Command chief David Petraeus visited Pakistan for talks with military and political leaders. American officials have pushed Pakistan to crack down on extremists who use its soil as a base for planning attacks on Western troops in Afghanistan.
A Taliban spokesperson vowed the Islamist militants would fight to "our last drop of blood" to defend their stronghold in South Waziristan, predicting the army would fail in its latest attempt to gain control over the tribal region.
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The army said Sunday that 60 militants and six soldiers had been killed since the offensive began Saturday in the mountainous, remote region that the army has tried and failed to wrest from near-total insurgent control three times since 2004.
'Militants are offering very tough resistance to any movement of troops' The Taliban claimed to have inflicted "heavy casualties" and pushed advancing soldiers back into their bases. It was not possible to independently verify the claims because the army is blocking access to the battlefield and surrounding towns.
Victory for the government in South Waziristan's tribal badlands would eliminate a safe haven for the Taliban militants blamed for surging terrorist attacks and the al-Qaeda operatives they shelter there. It would also send a signal to other insurgent groups in the nuclear-armed country of the military's will and ability to fight them.
Defeat would give the militants a propaganda victory, add to pressures on the country's shaky civilian government and alarm Pakistan's Western allies.
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