10 die in clashes in Pakistan's tribal belt

The clash occurred after the rebels ambushed a paramilitary vehicle in the Shawat area, around 12 km southwest of North Waziristan's main town of Miranshah, a military official said. "Seven miscreants were killed and one soldier died," he said.

Separately, militants shot dead two policemen in Miranshah overnight, a security official in the area told Reuters.

North Waziristan, a semi-autonomous area bordering Afghanistan, is the focus of a military campaign to rid the tribal lands of al-Qaeda remnants.

Clashes have intensified since an air strike on an al-Qaeda compound in early March and altogether security forces have killed over 300 militants, including around 75 foreigners, in North Waziristan since the middle of last year.