Pakistan says army airstrikes kill 12 militants

[October 23, 2010]  PARACHINAR, Pakistan (AP) -- A local government official says Pakistani army airstrikes have killed 12 suspected insurgents near the Afghan border.

The helicopter gunships targeted two suspected militant hide-outs in the Orakzai tribal region on Saturday.

The day before, a roadside bomb killed six paramilitary soldiers in Orakzai, where the army has waged an offensive against the Taliban.

Local government administrator Aurangzeb Khan says Saturday's airstrikes also wounded six militants.

The violence is a sign the Taliban are regrouping in Orakzai, where the army had declared victory earlier this year.

Independent confirmation of the strikes and death toll is nearly impossible because access to the conflict zone is severely restricted.

[Associated Press; By HUSSAIN AFZAL]

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