Pakistani tribesmen battle militants in Bajaur

By Sahibzada Bahauddin

KHAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani tribesmen backed by army helicopter gunships battled Islamist militants in the Bajaur region on the Afghan border on Tuesday, killing several of the militants, a tribal elder said.

Pakistani security forces launched an offensive in the strategically important Bajaur, one of the main sanctuaries for al Qaeda and Taliban militants in Pakistan, in August. Up to 1,000 militants have been killed this month, the military said.

In some places, ethnic Pashtun tribesmen have banded together with encouragement from the authorities to oppose the militants, whom the tribes blame for bringing violence to their region.

The latest clash broke out in Mulla Saib Dara village, 20 km east of the region's main town of Khar, when a militia force of about 6,000 tribesmen tried to set ablaze militants' houses and hideouts.

"Fighting is going on and to help us, the army sent some gunships which fired at the militants, killing several of them," tribal elder Malik Younus told Reuters.

He said his men would battle the militants until they were cleared from the region.

"We can't tolerate lawlessness in our land. Everyone has to obey our tribal rules and they can't make our land a hub of terrorism," Younus said.

Most members of the Taliban are ethnic Pashtun, whether from Pakistan or Afghanistan, and the conservative, deeply religious tribes that straddle the border have often accepted the militants as defenders of Islam.