Pakistan sends in tanks

The Pakistani army dispatched an armoured column to the north of the country today to counter a revolt by pro-Taliban forces in the most serious threat so far to the government's support for the anti-terror coalition.

Armed groups of rebel tribesmen and Islamic hardliners seized an airfield at Chilas and are reported to have stormed a local prison and released around 40 inmates.

The attacks followed four days of confrontation with the authorities in the North West Frontier Province after tribesmen set up blockades on the Karakoram Highway, the main route between Pakistan and China.

Thousands of pro-Taliban rebels swarmed on hillsides around the blockades between Besham and Kohistan, vowing to keep the vital northern route closed until Pakistan ended its support for the United States and its allies. A similar action in 1977 led to the fall of the Bhutto government and President Pervez Musharraf is reported to have ordered the army to disperse the rebels and re-open the road.

Troops in armoured vehicles are expected to arrive in the area later today, but it is not immediately clear how they will tackle the tribesmen and their followers.

The rebels are heavily armed and some groups have been openly showing off largecalibre machine guns and rocket launchers.

Senior army officers and religious leaders tried to persuade the rebel leaders to stand down in a series of talks yesterday, but the discussions ended in failure and orders were given to send in troops.

This was followed by the seizure of the airfield at Chilas in Gilgit.

Around 2,000 armed men - described here as "Taliban" - took control of the military and civil landing strip to stop it being used by the Pakistan military in any operation aimed at opening the China highway.

On the Pakistan-Afghan border, thousands of armed tribesmen are still waiting to cross to join the Taliban. They are massed with a collection of weapons, ranging from grenade launchers to ancient swords, pledging loyalty to the Taliban and saying they wanted to join the holy war against America and Britain.

However, there are strong signals today that the Taliban doesn't want them. Reports from inside Afghanistan suggest that the Taliban's resources are already overstretched and it would have difficulty lodging and feeding thousands more men. It is likely they will be told to return home and await further instructions.

Meanwhile, police and army commandos mounted intense security measures at churches and other Christian institutions following the murder of 16 worshippers at St Dominic's church in Bahawalpur in central Pakistan.

Four gunmen shot dead a police guard in his tent outside the church during the Sunday morning service then stormed inside, spraying the congregation with automatic weapon fire.

Eight people died on the spot. Another eight died of their wounds. At least nine were wounded.

The gunmen escaped on motorcycles. They were masked, but witnesses said they had long beards and there is little doubt here they were pro-Taliban supporters from one of the many fanatical Islamic groups.