Pakistan searches for soldiers abducted by militants

TANK, Pakistan, Aug 10 (Reuters) Pakistani security forces searched today for 16 paramilitary soldiers that officials say were abducted by pro-Taliban militants in a region near the Afghan border.

The men went missing yesterday while returning to their base in Jandola, 50 km from Wana, the main town of the semi-autonomous tribal land of South Waziristan. The area is a hotbed of support for the Taliban and al Qaeda.

The military said it was unable to say if the soldiers were kidnapped but regional government officials said troops had been snatched by the militants.

''Miscreants have picked up the soldiers, when they were on their way to Sararogha Fort from Jandola,'' said Khaista Rehman, a regional government official. Officials often refer to local Taliban as miscreants.

Clashes between security forces and militants have intensified in this border region since a 10-month-old peace pact broke down in North Waziristan last month.

Pakistani security forces said they killed up to a dozen militants yesterday after troops were ambushed near Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan. Five soldiers were wounded in that attack.

Militants have carried out a series of attacks, sometimes using suicide bombers, in Waziristan and elsewhere in North West Frontier Province.

More than 200 people have been killed in bomb attacks and clashes between militants and security forces since the army's assault on a pro-Taliban mosque in the capital Islamabad in July.

REUTERS RSA BD1517