PESHAWAR, June 26: Ten Pakistan army soldiers and two Chechen members of Al-Qaeda were killed in a gun-battle in South Waziristan Agency, an official said on Wednesday.

Information gathered from different sources revealed that soldiers from 23 Baluch Regiment accompanied by the South Waziristan Scouts and Khasadars raided Azam Warsak, a remote tribal area bordering Afghanistan. On Tuesday, they launched an operation to catch Al-Qaeda fighters. The operation followed reports that Al-Qaeda militants had taken shelter in the house of Abdul Khaliq Sarkikhel Wazir, a resident of Kaza Paunga.

Officials said that a fierce gun-battle ensued that lasted till late Tuesday. Fighting resumed early Wednesday and went on for a few hours before the soldiers fired a volley of mortars on the house, causing it to collapse.

A press release issued by the Inter-Service Public Relations confirmed death of 10 soldiers, two of them officers. It said the army had used minimum force due to concern for the safety of civilian population. “The ongoing efforts to apprehend criminals and terrorists responsible for the acts of violence is continuing with increased vigour,” the press release said.

The first casualties occurred when Maj Rizwan of the Baluch Regiment accompanied by Capt M. Naeem of the South Waziristan Scouts and some jawans, sought permission to enter the suspected house. Tribal witnesses said the soldiers had knocked at the house, asking for permission to carry out a search inside the house but they were shot and killed by the Al-Qaeda militants.

The troops then returned the fire, resulting in an intense shootout that continued till the sunset, officials and tribal sources said. “It is difficult to carry out an operation of such nature in a built-up area. It is a tough area. Our aim was to capture the Al-Qaeda elements and minimize (the risk of) civilian casualties,” said an official. “We couldn’t have bombed the entire civilian population.”

The gun-battle is the first confirmation of the presence of Al-Qaeda militants in tribal areas of Pakistan. The tip about the presence of Al-Qaeda militants there has apparently come from the Americans, officials say. Witnesses said that four American officials monitored the operation in Azam Warsak, about 14km from Wana Camp.

Later, the bodies of soldiers were retrieved and flown to Bannu in a helicopter. Officials said that bodies of two Chechen fighters were also recovered from the rubble. The other inmates of the house escaped. Tribal sources said there were 35 of them, including women and children, who are now reported to have taken shelter in nearby houses.

Security officials captured a Chechen, identified as Muhammad Yahya, who claims to be an Afghan from the Kunduz province. They also seized one 81mm mortar gun, an Al-Qaeda uniform and literature from the house.

Efforts are under way to flush out the remaining Al Qaeda militants from the area.

Local sources speak of tension prevailing in the area amidst warnings of dire consequences by tribal elders in case soldiers entered the houses without their consultation.

Those killed in the operation were Maj Rizwan, Lance Naik Sajawal, Sepoys Ishaq, Safdar Khan and Fazle Rabbi of the Baluch Regiment, and Capt Naeem, Lance Naik Hazrat Hussain, Lance Naik Din Muhammad, Sepoy Jameel Khan and Lance Abdus Samad of the South Waziristan Scouts.

Two persons, one of them identified as Sepoy Ajmal Khan, were wounded and were under treatment in a hospital in Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan Agency.

Tribal sources acknowledge the presence of Al-Qaeda militants in the area. The government says the tribal elders have assured that A-Qaeda suspects will be caught and handed over to the authorities.

Faraz Hashmi adds from Islamabad: A heavy enforcement was rushed to the area where the soldiers were carrying out operations on information passed on by the US intelligence communication experts, Maj-Gen Rashid Qureshi told Dawn.

He said the operation was still going on and added that the number of Al-Qaeda members killed could not be ascertained.

In reply to a question about the US soldiers, Gen Qureshi said no foreign troops were involved in any operation inside Pakistan. Only the intelligence communication experts of the US were helping Pakistani troops to interpret messages of Al-Qaeda men, he added.