The attack took place before dawn in an area considered a stronghold of extremists. The gun battle with security forces lasted more than two hours. Prime Minister Gilani on an official visit to "best friend" China, in a period of crisis in relations with Washington.

Islamabad (AsiaNews / Agencies) - This morning on the outskirts of Peshawar, northwest Pakistan, more than 70 Islamic fundamentalists attacked a checkpoint. In the shootout that lasted more than two hours two security guards were killed, five others were injured. The attack today is a fresh response of the Pakistani Taliban, who have promised a bloodbath in the country in response to the killing of Osama Bin Laden during a raid by U.S. special forces on Pakistani territory on May 2. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has started a four-day official visit to China: The objective is to strengthen the economic and diplomatic relations with Beijing, which could replace Washington as a strategic ally of Islamabad.

The attack on the checkpoint of the security forces took place this morning just before dawn near the Khyber tribal area close to the border with Afghanistan, considered a stronghold of Taliban and Islamic extremists, including Al Qaeda. An official reported that the assailants were armed with grenades and AK-47s: "We successfully repelled the first assault - he said - but they attacked a second time. The shootout lasted more than two and a half hours.

The victims were a policeman and a soldier of Pakistan's paramilitary forces. Witnesses said there were casualties among the Taliban too, but their bodies were taken away. Today’s violence follows the double bombing on May 13 last against an army training centre, which killed over 90 people. The Taliban announced bloody attacks in response to the death of Osama Bin Laden.

Yesterday, meanwhile, the Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani arrived in China for a four-day official visit to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations. Before the trip, the Prime Minister had described Beijing as "best friends" with Islamabad. Although planned for some time, the visit is an opportunity to strengthen economic, commercial and "political" ties between the two countries, at a time of cooling in strategic ties with Washington.

Shanghai is the first leg of the journey. Following this Gilani will visit Suzhou and Beijing, where he will meet the leaders of the communist government, including President Hu Jintao and his counterpart Wen Jiabao. Meanwhile, business ties between China and Pakistan are growing, last year reaching 8.6 billion dollars an increase of 30% from 2009.

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• US
• China
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• qaeda
• terrorism
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