Clash in NW Pakistan kills 2 police, 15 militants

The attack on the Sangu Mera checkpoint comes amid Taliban threats to avenge the May 2 US raid that killed Osama bin Laden elsewhere in Pakistan's volatile northwest. But it is more likely tied to the Pakistani military's offensives against militant groups in its tribal belt bordering Afghanistan.

Sangu Mera lies just along the border of Khyber tribal region, one of the areas where Taliban and other militants have hideouts and where the Pakistani army has staged multiple operations. The checkpoint is about 6 miles (10 kilometers) away from Peshawar, a strategically important city along the way to Afghanistan.

Senior police official Liaquat Ali Khan said the militants bore rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons when they attacked the security forces overnight. But eventually the insurgents were pushed back.

Security checkpoints are frequently attacked by militants in Pakistan - sometimes through suicide bombings and other times involving large numbers of insurgents such as Wednesday's incident. The clashes are often linked to ongoing military offensives in the tribal belt.

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