Border violence erupts amid talks

Pakistani forces killed as many as 30 militants near the Afghan border as the region’s chief minister told a U.S. diplomat that he wanted to resolve problems there through dialogue.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher traveled to the city of Peshawar to meet North-West Frontier Province chief Amir Haider Khan Hoti, according to a statement from Hoti.

The visit comes amid strains between the nations over apparent U.S. missile attacks on militant targets on the Pakistani side of the border.

Washington wants Pakistan to do more to fight Al Qaeda and Taliban militants based there. Hoti told Boucher that the provincial government wants to “resolve all political problems through peaceful dialogue, but there wouldn’t be any compromise on maintaining” its authority.