TANK, Pakistan: Pakistani forces backed by artillery continued to attack Taliban insurgents yesterday as the army moved to wrest control of militant strongholds in a lawless region on the Afghan border.

The fighting is a new test of the Islamabad government's determination to tackle an increasingly brazen insurgency that has seen a string of attacks in different parts of the country, including an assault on army headquarters, in which more than 150 people were killed.

The army said yesterday that 18 militants and two soldiers had been killed in the past 24 hours, taking the militant toll to 78, while nine soldiers had been killed since the long-awaited offensive began early on Saturday.