Army and Militants Clash Near Border

Pakistani troops pounded suspected Al Qaeda hide-outs and a training facility with artillery, mortar and small-arms fire during a third day of fighting in a lawless tribal region near the border with Afghanistan.

The army said it had killed 35 insurgents. Fifteen security personnel were killed in an attack on a checkpoint Wednesday, the first day of the fighting, said army spokesman Gen. Shaukat Sultan. He said the army had retrieved the soldiers’ bodies, many of which had been mutilated. Sultan said the three-day army offensive was near the town of Shakai, about 15 miles west of Wana, the largest town in South Waziristan.