Militants, Pakistanis exchange fire in tribal zone

WANA, PAKISTAN, June 9 (REUTERS) Islamic militants and Pakistani troops exchanged fire in a remote mountainous region near Afghanistan today where authorities have been trying to flush out hundreds of foreign extremists.

Local residents said they heard heavy firing overnight in the Turampul area, 25 km northeast of Wana town in south Waziristan, which continued early today.

"The sound of loud explosions and gunfire could be heard in the Wana town," a resident of told Reuters.

"Authorities have blocked roads leading toward turampul." Military spokesman Shaukat Sultan said security forces had responded to the fire of "miscreants and terrorists" but had not launched any fresh operation against the militants.

He denied there had been heavy fighting.

"Only a few rockets were fired at our two posts and a camp," he said.

"There were no casualties.

Reports suggesting that there was a serious engagement between the two sides are wrong." Islamabad says up to 600 foreign militants, including Arabs, Chechens and Uzbeks linked to Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network, are hiding out in tribal areas close to the Afghan border.

South Waziristan is one of these tribal zones.

More than 120 people died when the Pakistani military launched assaults against militants in the area in March.

Pakistan's army and other security agencies have since been trying to push tribal sympathisers of the militants to give them up but their efforts have borne little fruit so far.

The government has repeatedly said it may have to revert to force again to hunt the militants.