Three-hour-long clash in NW Pakistan kills 2 police, 15 militants

Three-hour-long clash in NW Pakistan kills 2 police, 15 militants

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Police say some 100 militants have attacked a security checkpoint near the main northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar.

The three-hour-long clash killed two police officers and 15 insurgents.

Senior police official Liaquat Ali Khan said Wednesday the militants bore rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons. They struck overnight at the Sangu Mera checkpoint.

Sangu Mera lies just along the border of Khyber tribal region, an area where Taliban and other militants have hideouts. The checkpoint is about 6 miles (10 kilometers) away from Peshawar.

The attack comes amid Taliban threats to avenge the May 2 U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden elsewhere in Pakistan's northwest. But it is more likely tied to the Pakistani military's offensives in the tribal belt.

Source chron.com