Firefight Rages Between Pakistani Troops, Militants

October 28, 2007 12:48 p.m. EST

Peshawar, Pakistan (AHN) - Three rockets hit Peshawar, capital of Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province, before dawn Sunday. One struck a politician's house across the road from the U.S. Consulate. No one was hurt, police said.

In Malakand, a rugged area bordering Pakistan's Swat district, authorities dropped pamphlets from airplanes on Sunday urging residents to cooperate with security forces. A day earlier, the government made similar appeals in Swat where 2,500 paramilitary troops are fighting militants who have shaken the authority of Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, according to reports.

Security forces backed by helicopter gunships killed 10 suspected insurgents on Sunday who reportedly opened fire on security forces in the Manglore and Kot areas of Swat district.

Militants have been fighting security forces in Swat since Friday. Twenty-five people have so far been killed in the violence since Friday, including six security personnel and seven civilians beheaded by militants. A suicide blast in Mingora, Swat's main town, killed 20 people Thursday.