15 reported killed in Pakistan fighting

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Clashes between Taliban militants and pro-government forces killed 15 people overnight in a Pakistani region on the border with Afghanistan, an official and a tribal elder said Monday. Security forces fired mortar and artillery rounds at militants in the Charmang area of the Bajur region overnight, killing nine insurgents, government official Jamil Khan said. On Monday morning, pro-government tribesmen exchanged fire with militants in the Nawa and Kotkai areas of Bajur, tribal elder Nazi Jan said. Four militants and two tribesmen were fatally wounded, he said. Fighting is spreading across Pakistan's northwest as the government tries to crack down on Taliban and al-Qaida strongholds and persuade tribes to take up arms against the militants. The military operations have drawn praise from U.S. officials... [read full story]