11 Pakistani troops killed near border

PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- Islamist militants ambushed a convoy of Pakistani troops traveling close to the Afghan border yesterday, killing 11 of them in an unusually bloody attack, a government official said.

The dead included a colonel and a captain in the Frontier Corps, a paramilitary unit being trained by a small contingent of American special forces soldiers.

Khyber government official Iqbal Khan said the convoy was returning from a mission in three vehicles when it was attacked not far from the northwestern city of Peshawar. He said several attackers were killed, but gave no more details.

Pakistan's tribal regions close to the Afghan border are home to al-Qaida and Taliban militants seeking to overthrow the U.S.-allied secular government and establish a hard-line Islamic state.

The Pakistani army has launched several operations in the remote and rugged region during the past 21/2 years, but the insurgents have proved a resilient foe. The army says 2,000 Pakistani soldiers have been killed there since 2001. -- AP