Civilians asked to leave Pakistani tribal village amid clashes

Authorities using loudspeakers urged the civilians to flee as troops tightened their cordon around the village, near the main town of Miranshah, following two days of clashes that have left four soldiers and dozens of militants dead, local officials said.

"We have warned the militants to surrender and hand over their weapons, otherwise we will use full force against them," a military spokesman told AFP.

Pakistani forces attacked al-Qaeda-linked militants in mountains near the Afghan border for a third day yesterday, pounding their hideouts with helicopter gunships, security officials said.

Pakistan has been trying to clear its lawless tribal areas on the Afghan border of militants since early last year. Hundreds of militants and Pakistani soldiers have been killed in clashes.

A military spokesman said five Pakistani troops had been killed since the latest fighting began on Thursday.

Local officials said as many as 30 suspected militants have been killed since the operation started on Thursday.

They said troops have retrieved five bodies of suspected militants from the battle zone.

Pakistan's lawless tribal regions have seen several military offensives since 2003 to flush out al-Qaeda-linked militants who sneaked into the rugged region after the fall of Taliban regime in Afghanistan in late 2001.

Hundreds of militants were killed in neighbouring South Waziristan district, where the army also lost some 250 men in fighting last year.

The army shifted focus on North Waziristan earlier this year, saying they had cleared the southern part of the tribal belt of militants, including foreign fighters.

Last month troops raided the largest al-Qaeda hideout in North Waziristan and recovered a huge cache of weapons from a religious school compound owned by a Taliban sympathiser.