Militants killed in Pakistan clashes
More than 40 militants have been killed in clashes with security forces in northwest Pakistan.
In the first attack, militants attacked a military spot in the South Waziristan region and 11 of them were killed, the military said.
Later, 30 militants including some foreigners died in fighting in the northwestern region of Bajaur, on the Afghan border, a military official said.
"Our troops carried out an operation this morning and we have reports that 30 militants, including some Uzbeks, were killed," a military official said.
The violence comes as political uncertainty in the South Asian nation deepened with a split in the government.
Hopes for political stability after Pervez Musharraf resigned last week were dashed when the ruling coalition, headed by the party of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, fell apart over a judicial dispute and replacing the president.
The departure of the second biggest party, that of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, ended what analysts said was an unnatural alliance between the two old rival parties and set the scene for a battle over the presidency.
The wrangling has also distracted the government's attention from mounting militant violence, critics have said.
But the government says it is commited to pressing on with the campaign against militancy.
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