More than 30 militants were killed in clashes with Pakistani military forces in the volatile tribal regions bordering Afghanistan, army officials reported Thursday.

Four army outposts were attacked late Wednesday in North Waziristan by pro-Taliban militants, a spokesman of the military said. Government forces retaliated and killed more than 25 militants in the Razmak region.

Additional troops were deployed in the region, as the security forces began sweeping the area in order to rout out any remaining militants and assess the casualties.

Clashes broke out in the same Razmak region, near the border with South Waziristan. Reports said ten servicemen of the Frontier Corps were injured in the intense fire exchange, but no fatalities have been reported.

Ground troops were assisted by military helicopters which opened fire on insurgent positions. An army official said at least eight militants were killed and about 12 injured in the fierce battles.

Two days ago the government forces reportedly killed approximately 40 rebels in South Waziristan, where 200 soldiers are being held hostages by insurgents since August 30.

Government representatives and tribal elders are trying to negotiate their release, the army stressing that the latest clashes are not related with a rescue operation, as it has been speculated.

Intelligence reports said the mountainous regions neighbouring are a hotbed of al-Qaeda fighters and pro-Taliban militants who are carrying out numerous cross-border attacks against coalition forces in Afghanistan.

The Islamabad government confirmed the presence of radical fighters in the area, but denied that training camps are also located in the tribal regions, as US officials claimed.

President Pervez Musharraf has been heavily criticized for not routing out extremist elements from Pakistan, Washington and Kabul officials urging him to intensify the fight against terrorism.

On Wednesday, Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte made a visit to Islamabad and said the US’ ally in the war with terrorism is making progress in this fierce struggle and sometimes doing “more than its share.”