Islamabad:
Fierce fighting broke out in Pakistan's restive Buner district on Friday as troops backed by fighters and tanks were trying to overcome stiff resistance from the entrenched Taliban, killing 60 militants, including some foreigners over the past 24 hours.
"The operation is going on successfully," chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told newsmen as hundreds of troops in armoured carriers made a dash down the Ambela Pass to effect a land link-up with commandos holding the Daggar, the main city of Buner.
But in a brazen retaliation, Taliban stormed the headquarters of Frontier Corps in Dir and snatched 10 soldiers. There was still no word of another 52 security personnel being held hostage by militants in Buner since Wednesday.
As the operation 'Black Thunder' entered the third day on Friday, security forces pressed tanks and armoured carriers to clear pockets of Taliban defences on the north side of the Ambela pass which they had captured last night.
Over 200 militants and over a dozen security personnel have died so far in the fighting since the weekend.
Heavy fighting came as the government turned down a demand by Taliban to call off the offensive and top military commanders meeting in Rawalpindi pledged to extend maximum support to the government in tackling militancy with "zero tolerance."