Militants attack Pakistan convoy, kill one trooper

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Apr 20: Pro-Taliban militants attacked a convoy of paramilitary troops in Pakistan's troubled tribal region today, killing one trooper and wounding eight, an intelligence official said.

It was attacked near Miranshah, the main town of the North Waziristan region that borders Afghanistan.

The convoy was on its way to the town of Razmak when it was ambushed by militants hiding in nearby mountains, the official said on condition of anonymity.

The rugged Waziristan has been scene of fierce battles between Islamist militants and security forces over the past two years. More than more than 250 people have been killed in clashes in recent weeks.

Many al Qaeda militants and their Taliban allies fled to Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt after they were chased out of Afghanistan by US-backed forces in 2001.

The fiercely independent and deeply religious tribals in the area have sympathies with these militants.

REUTERS