Pakistan troops die in gun battle

At least three security personnel have been killed in a gun battle triggered by an attack by dozens of militants on a checkpoint in north-west Pakistan.

Police said up to 60 suspected Islamist militants had fired rocket launchers, machine-guns and hurled grenades at the post in Mattni village, near Peshawar.

Police and paramilitary troops then retaliated, sparking a 90-minute clash.

Hundreds of people have died in recent months in battles between the security forces and pro-Taleban militants.

At least 70 militants and 13 soldiers were killed in the nearby town of Dara Adam Khel last month after militants occupied a Japanese-built road tunnel.

In holding the tunnel, the militants blocked the main route between the city of Peshawar and the volatile Afghan border area and stranded hundreds of vehicles on both side.

Correspondents say the border areas of North West Frontier Province are a hotbed of militancy and a feeding ground for the Taleban and al-Qaeda, and have seen growing violence directed at Pakistani government forces.