A Pakistani paramilitary soldier holds a rocket launcher on his shoulder at a military post on the outskirts of Wana.

By Asif Farooqi, IOL Correspondent

ISLAMABAD, June 12 (IslamOnline.net) – Fierce fighting between military troops and militants in the volatile South Waziristan tribal region was triggered by different interpretation of a recent agreement between the two sides, government sources told IslamOnline.net Saturday, June 12.

The latest military offensive, launched Friday, June 11, with a backup from the air forces, has since claimed at least 40 militants, 18 soldiers and three civilians, according to a military count.

On April 24, the government announced a pardon for the five tribesmen turned militants, Nek Muhammad, Haji Sharif, Noor Islam, Maulavai Abbas and Maulavi Abdul Aziz.

It said the amnesty was conditional on their pledge to remain peaceful and not to use Pakistan 's soil against any other country.

However, the "rapprochement" as it was called at that time, collapsed over interpretation of the terms of the agreement reached between the two sides, the government sources told IOL, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The government insists that the militants must register the foreigners they are harboring in order to benefit from the pardon while 27-year-old Nek Muhammad maintains that was never part of the deal.

Thereupon, President Pervez Musharraf withdrew the amnesty and security forces were ordered to "capture or kill" the militants, added the sources.

'Shoot At Sight'

A satellite image of Al-Qaeda alleged hideouts released by the Pakistani military

According to acknowledgeable sources in Islamabad the army top brass decided, after a careful evaluation of the situation at the highest military level, to take on the defying members of the Yargukhel tribe who were declared absconder and "shoot at sight" orders were given to the security forces.

On Tuesday, June 8, the administration in Wana issued notices to the tribe to "present the wanted" tribal militants.

It warned that failure to comply would invoke the Frontier Crimes Regulations under which the authorities are entitled to hold any person in detention for any length of time.

The new military offensive followed two attacks on military posts in the region last week which caused heavy losses to the security forces, the sources said.

The military accused "local facilitators" of abusing efforts to reach a non-military solution through the amnesty deal and said the attacks on army posts were an "abuse of the government's sincere offer" of amnesty.

"The government was left with no choice but to respond in order to establish its writ and eliminate these foreign elements that...had not only taken the local population hostage but were also a nuisance for the entire area."

Nek Muhammad had threatened reprisal attacks in Peshawar , Islamabad and Karachi if the government did not stop what he called excesses against his people in South Waziristan .

In an interview with the BBC Pushto broadcast on Wednesday, June 9, he accused the government of going back on its pledge and warned against any military operation against his people.

Following his warnings, an assassination attempt was made on Corps Commander Lt Gen Ahson Saleem Hayat, the highest ranking military officer in Karachi , on Thursday, June 10.

He narrowly escaped death but his driver was among at least 11 people killed when several assailants opened fire on the military convoy.

Another 35 foreign militants and 15 troops were killed when clashes broke out Wednesday near Shakai village north of Wana and less than 30 kilometers from the mountainous border.

The clashes were the first since the army wound down a major offensive late March after losing 46 troops and offered an amnesty to hundreds of foreign fighters hiding in the area and their local tribal allies.