Fighting flares up across tribal belt

In another clash, helicopter gunships pounded militant hideouts on Wednesday in a different part of Bajaur bordering Afghanistan, killing eight rebels and wounding 12 others, a separate security official said.

The forces moved into Bajaur earlier this month.

In the most dramatic incident Wednesday, the military said between 75 and 100 militants assailed a military fort in the South Waziristan region at about midnight Tuesday.

Troops guarding Tiarza Fort and a checkpoint on a nearby bridge “responded effectively and repulsed the attack,” a military statement said.

It said 11 militants died and between 15-20 were wounded in the gunbattle. It made no mention of any casualties among the troops.