Pak moves troops from Indian border, defeats Taliban in Dir

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan was reported to be moving troops from its border with India to boost its military campaign against Taliban in the restive NWFP, which has been meeting with fierce resistance as after two days of fighting militants continued to retain their hold on most of the Buner district.

A media report said that Pakistan was moving 6,000 troops (more than a brigade) to fight militants on its western border with Afghanistan, quoting a Pakistani official who did not want to be identified.

Pakistan military, advancing on three fronts backed by fighter aircraft and attack helicopters in Buner, snatched the vital 8-km-long Ambela heights which overlook most of the Buner. In fierce encounters so far, at least 120 militants have been killed.

The military campaign, launched under intense US pressure, came as President Asif Ali Zardari appealed to the nation to stand behind the current offensive against Islamic extremists.

Pakistani troops claimed making advances in Buner, just 100 km from the federal capital, after inflicting "huge" casualties on the Taliban, who retaliated using suicide bombers to strike back on the security forces, the chief military spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas said.