Curfew eased in Pakistan town after militants killed

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Mar 12 (Reuters) Pakistani authorities further eased an eight-day-old curfew in the capital of a tribal region bordering Afghanistan today after soldiers killed dozens of Islamist militants in air and ground attacks.

The military said security forces killed up to 30 pro-Taliban foreign militants and their local supporters in a village about 10 km west of Miranshah, capital of the North Waziristan tribal area, on Friday night.

Sporadic small arms fire, apparently from security forces, was heard yesterday night from outside the town, but there were no reports of any more casualties.

Three rockets fired by militants landed in an army base in the town of Bannu about 50 km (30 miles) to the west overnight, but these also caused no casualties, officials said.

Pakistani forces have been trying to clear al Qaeda-linked foreign militants from Waziristan since 2004 and it was the scene of fierce battles this month that started just before a visit to Pakistan by US President George W Bush from March 3-4.

According to the government, nearly 200 pro-Taliban militants have been killed in the violence, as well as five soldiers.

Today, officials circulated notices to residents warning that they could be arrested, fined or have their houses bulldozed if they assisted militants or refused to give them up.

Local people have faced threats from militants as well as from the authorities.

The bullet-riddled body of a man was found on Sunday near the town of Mirali, about 20 km (12 miles) west of Miranshah, with a note attached that said: ''He was an enemy of Islam and a supporter of the government.

This will be the fate of anybody who is against Islam and supports the government.'' Nevertheless, officials said the situation was improving and announced a seven-hour break in a curfew imposed for the past eight days.

''The situation is now returning to normal,'' North Waziristan's top government official, Zaheerul Islam, told Reuters.

''As soon as the situation improves further, we will do away completely with the day-time curfew, but we will continue the night curfew for some time.'' The curfew was initially around the clock, but there was a five-hour break on Friday and for six hours today.

Many al Qaeda militants fled to the semi-autonomous tribal belt after US and Afghan opposition forces ousted the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in 2001.

Many Pashtun tribesmen, who live on both sides of the border, sympathise with the Taliban and al Qaeda, and al Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri are believed to be hiding somewhere in the frontier region.

REUTERS CH RN1432