Pakistani soldiers die in attack

A bomb went off on the outskirts of the valley`s main town of Mingora on Friday as a security patrol was passing.

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Pakistan's security officials say a suicide car bomber has killed two soldiers in the country's northwest.

At least three others were wounded after the bomber attacked a checkpoint in Swat valley, where government forces have been battling Taliban members for more than a year.

The army said it had received reports that security personnel and civilians were wounded.

Swat lies close to Pakistan's tribal belt along the Afghan border where Taliban and al-Qaeda members have established a series of strongholds.

Troops targeted

Friday's attack occurred in the Fizaghat neighbourhood of Swat's Mingora district outside a school building requisitioned by troops, a security official said.

"Two security force personnel embraced martyrdom in the suicide attack," another senior official told the AFP news agency.

"A suicide bomber rammed his explosive-filled car into the wall of the check post," he said.

Three other soldiers were slightly wounded, he said.

Separately, a remote-controlled bomb struck a Pakistani military convoy, killing a civilian and wounding two others at a village near Mingora.

Descent into chaos

Swat, once a popular destination for Pakistani and foreign holidaymakers, was the country's only ski resort.

Today it has descended into chaos, with near battles between armed fighters and security forces.

The Pakistani military is battling fighters loyal to Maulana Fazlullah, a pro-Taliban official, who have demanded a stricter interpretation of Islamic laws.

More than 1,500 Pakistani troops have been killed at the hands of pro-Taliban fighters since 2002.