Al Qaeda suspects killed in Pakistan shootout

Pakistan authorities demolish a suspected al Qaeda hideout as part of a national crackdown

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Police in Pakistan say four suspected al Qaeda militants have been killed in a shootout with security personnel in the country's remote, semi-autonomous tribal northwest.

Security officers stopped a car in which the suspects were traveling, near the town of Kohat on Wednesday, after which the occupants of the vehicle opened fire, officials say.

A soldier and a police officer were also reported killed in the gunfight that followed.

Explosives were found in the vehicle and a bomb disposal expert was called in to remove them, officials told The Associated Press.

The unnamed officials said the presence of explosives indicates the group may have been planning some kind of terrorist attack inside Pakistan.

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Last week 10 Pakistani soldiers and several suspected al Qaeda members -- some thought to be Chechens -- were killed in a raid on a suspected hideout some 200 kilometers (120 miles) southwest of Kohat.

Since then the Pakistani military says it has detained 16 suspected al Qaeda fugitives.

There has been no word from officials on the nationalities of those killed in Wednesday's shootout.

Tribal zone

Many al Qaeda and Taliban fugitives are thought to have escaped from Afghanistan following the U.S.-led campaign there and are believed to be hiding in Pakistan's remote and often lawless tribal zone.

Hundreds are believed to have crossed the border into Afghanistan after a large battle with U.S. ground forces in eastern Afghanistan in March.

After the shootout last week the Bush administration praised the Pakistani authorities for their assistance in tracking down suspected militants.

"Since September 11, Pakistan has time and again shown itself to be a stalwart partner in the coalition against terrorism," the U.S. State Department said in a statement.

U.S. Special Forces have been helping the Pakistani troops in their hunt, providing intelligence and other assistance but not getting involved in actual combat.

It is not clear whether U.S. forces had any role in the latest clash.

Meanwhile on the Afghan side of the border, Special Forces troops are continuing to hunt for al Qaeda and Taliban remnants.