4 pakistani soldiers killed, 12 injured in South Waziristan o

ISLAMABAD: More than 30,000 Pakistani soldiers launched a much-awaited ground offensive in an al-Qaeda and Taliban stronghold along the Afghan border early Saturday, officials told The Associated Press.

Four soldiers were killed and 12 others wounded during clashes in Waziristan the army said. Meanwhile nine militants have so far been killed in the operation.

'The army has launched an operation after receiving orders from the government. The operation was launched early in the morning. Both air and ground troops are taking part,' Major General Athar Abbas told AFP.

The offensive in South Waziristan follows months of air strikes intended to soften up militant defences that have also forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee.

South Waziristan is a key base for foreign and national militant groups planning attacks on American and Nato targets in Afghanistan and beyond. The US is racing to send in night-vision goggles and other equipment to aid the latest operation.

The region is remote and mountainous. It has a leaky border with Afghanistan and fiercely independent tribes who have long resisted government interference. With winter snows just weeks away, the army has limited time to pursue a major ground attack there, and even if it does manage to wipe out its intended targets, its unclear whether troops will occupy the area or for how long.

The officials Saturday two with intelligence, three with the government and one senior army official gave few details but said the troops were pursuing militants holed up in the region, including in major trouble spots such as Ladha and Makeen towns.