Combat with foreign militants and their tribal backers resumes. An ex-Taliban fighter is reportedly killed. Pakistani troops Thursday launched the latest in their on-again, off-again clashes with foreign and home-grown militants in the tribal lands along the country’s border with Afghanistan, and reportedly killed a former Taliban fighter who had embarrassed the government in previous offensives. The strike in which military officials said they believed that Nek Mohammed, 27, was killed came three days after they announced that a previous combat operation against militants had ended. The fighting underscored the difficulties President Pervez Musharraf’s government faces as Pakistan tries to contain terrorists in its own unruly lands. Full Story