Pakistan clashes kill 40 rebels, 2 soldiers

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PESHAWAR, Oct 14 (Reuters): More than 40 Islamist militants and two soldiers have been killed in the latest fighting in Pakistan's troubled northwest near the Afghan border, paramilitary force officials said Tuesday.
Pakistani security forces in recent months have been locked in battles with militants in the Bajaur ethnic Pashtun tribal region as well as the nearby Swat Valley, a mountain valley once popular with tourists.
In an apparent reaction to the Pakistani offensives, militants have unleashed a wave of suicide bomb attacks in Pakistan, most in the northwest.
The Pashtun regions are havens for al Qaeda and Taliban guerrillas and the United States has carried out a series of missile attacks as well as a ground assault on militant targets in Pakistan since the beginning of September.
In the latest fighting in the Swat Valley, at least 25 militants were killed in a clash with security forces in the Khawazakhela area on Monday, an official with the paramilitary Frontier Corps said. Two soldiers were also killed and three wounded.
Security forces have been fighting loyalists of a pro-Taliban cleric, Mullah Fazlullah, who has led a violent campaign to impose Taliban-style laws in the region.
Security forces pounded a Fazlullah stronghold last week and killed several of his colleagues but he escaped unhurt
In Bajaur, to the west of Swat and on the Afghan border, security forces backed by helicopter gunships killed 15 to 20 militants in attacks in the Charmang district on Monday, said another paramilitary force official.
The military launched an offensive in Bajaur in August and according to official estimates, well over 1,000 militants have been killed in the region, which the military describes as a militant "centre of gravity".
In the latest militant bomb attack, a suicide car bomber attacked a meeting in the Orakzai region on Friday as tribal leaders met to raise a force to fight the insurgents, killing more than 50 people and wounding more than 100.
The violence has added to worries about nuclear-armed Pakistan, as the civilian coalition government that took office this year struggles with a deteriorating economy. (Writing by Zeeshan Haider; Editing by Bill Tarrant.
Meanwhile: A man believed to be a US citizen has been arrested in Pakistan in a restive tribal area near the Afghan border, according to police.
The 20-year-old was detained at a checkpoint while trying to enter the Mohmand Agency area, they said. The US embassy said it was trying to confirm the reported arrest.
Pro-Taleban militants have been active in Pakistan's tribal areas, which have seen months of fighting between the militants and security forces.
Police were investigating why the man was in the area, spokesman Pir Shahab was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying.
Mr Shahab said the man did not have the permission required by Pakistani law to be in the region.
The man was wearing traditional Pakistani dress and appeared to be a civilian, AP quoted another police officer, Marjan Khan, as saying.
"He told us that he was a student at a community college in Florida and wanted to enter the tribal region to see a friend," Mr Khan said.
He said the man was carrying a laptop computer and a travel bag, and had been moved to an undisclosed location for questioning.
The US embassy in Islamabad and its consulate in Peshawar have contacted Pakistani officials about the reported arrest and are seeking confirmation, AP quoted embassy spokesman Louis Fintor as saying.
Taleban and al-Qaeda militants have been active in Pakistan's lawless tribal areas along the Afghan border.
In recent months, the US and Pakistani military have attacked the militants' bases.
Local tribal leaders have also taken up arms against the Taleban and al-Qaeda.