Pakistan forces push into South Waziristan

Pakistani forces have attacked Taliban insurgents as the army moves to wrest control of militant strongholds in South Waziristan.

The fighting is a new test of the government's determination to tackle an increasingly brazen insurgency that has seen a string of attacks in different parts of the country, including an assault on army headquarters in which more than 150 people were killed.

The conflict is being closely followed by the US and other countries embroiled in Afghanistan, and today US General David Petraeus is in Pakistan for talks.

About 100,000 civilians fled South Waziristan in anticipation of the offensive, with about 16,000 of them coming out in the last few days, the army said.

Residents of Wana, the main urban centre in South Waziristan, said there had been heavy fighting overnight.

The army said yesterday that 60 militants and five soldiers had been killed in the first 24 hours of the long-awaited offensive.

There has been no independent verification of the casualty toll.

About 28,000 soldiers are battling an estimated 10,000 hard-core Taliban, including about 1,000 Uzbek fighters and some Arab al-Qaeda members.

The army says it has surrounded the militants in their main zone, a wedge of territory in the north, and soldiers backed by aircraft and artillery were attacking from the north, southwest and southeast.

Foreign reporters are not allowed in to the area, and it is dangerous for Pakistani reporters to visit. Many of the Pakistani reporters based in South Waziristan have left.

The army has launched brief offensives in South Waziristan before, the first in 2004 when it suffered heavy casualties before striking a peace pact.