Pakistani forces clashed with hundreds of foreign rebels near the border with Afghanistan, leaving six soldiers and 40 rebels dead, the military said, as masked gunmen kidnapped, a senior official on Sunday. The fierce fighting took place late Saturday in the lawless Mohmand tribal area in northwest Pakistan, a known Taliban and al-Qaeda stronghold, the military said in a statement.
The attack was the biggest in recent months against Pakistan's security forces, who are battling to flush out militants in several areas of the country's restive northwest.
The rugged border area is a key battleground in the U.S.-led "war on terror," with rebels operating on both sides and using "safe havens" in Pakistan from which they are said to launch attacks on foreign forces in Afghanistan.
Rebels and Taliban fighters
Most of the rebels came from the Afghan side of the border, and were joined by local Taliban fighters. The combined force of about 600 militants then attacked a paramilitary Frontier Corps base near the border.
The rebels armed with mortars, rocket launchers and grenades attacked the fort at Mamad Gate -- where members of Pakistan's elite Quick Reaction Force were stationed -- from several directions, officials and witnesses told AFP.
"Frontier Corps troops repulsed a massive attack by militants on one of its locations in the area," the military said in a statement, adding that "severe fighting continued through the night".
Residents told AFP that the there were bodies left on the ground in the area.
Seven soldiers were wounded in the gun battles, the military said, adding that paramilitary troops "inflicted heavy casualties" on the rebels, without giving a figure for the enemy wounded.
Most of the attackers fled under heavy military fire, a security official told AFP. Some of the fighters surrendered, a military spokesman said later, without giving a specific figure.