Pakistan Says 16 Militants Killed in Northwest

Officials say at least 25 other al-Qaida-linked fighters were wounded during intense strikes in the villages of Loi Sam, Rashakai and Tang Khata in the Bajaur tribal region. Pakistan says more than 100 people, most of them militants, have been killed in a renewed military offensive in the northwest over the past few days. Pakistani officials say Pakistani security forces, backed by helicopter gunships and artillery, killed 16 suspected militants Sunday near the Afghan border. Last month, Pakistan's Interior Ministry chief, Rehman Malik, said the military would suspend offensives against militants in Bajaur during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but reserved the right to attack if provoked. Pakistan has committed itself to fighting Islamic militancy in its tribal areas, while discouraging the United States from undertaking military operations on its territory.