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03/02/2006:

"Pakistan says forces kill more than 45 militants in strike at Afghan border"

MIRAN SHAH, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistani security forces backed by helicopter gunships struck a militant hide-out Wednesday in a tribal region near the Afghan border, killing more than 45 fighters including a Chechen commander linked to al-Qaida, officials said.

One civilian and a soldier were also reported dead.

near Saidgi, a village about nine miles west of Miran Shah, army spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan said.
The assault ''knocked out a den of foreign militants'' and killed more than 45, an army statement said.
newspress.com


U.S. soldier killed in Afghan fighting amid predictions of rising violence
KABUL (AP) - Fighting between U.S. forces and suspected Taliban rebels Tuesday killed one American service member and wounded two others in southern Afghanistan, the military said.

A military vehicle was damaged by a roadside bomb during the fighting, which left the two wounded service members in stable condition at a nearby base. "We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our fellow service members," said Maj.-Gen. Benjamin Freakley, a U.S. commander.

The victims' names were withheld pending notification of their families.

The bombing raised the death toll of U.S. personnel in and around Afghanistan to 216 since the U.S. invaded in late 2001.

Military officials in Washington and Afghanistan said Tuesday that insurgent attacks rose sharply last year and are likely to worsen in 2006 as militants step up efforts to hamper the country's gradual transition to democracy.

Good luck with that...