Islamabad, Sept 18 : Six people, including a couple of foreigners, were killed and three injured last evening when the US forces launched air strikes on a compound allegedly used by militants in South Waziristan, officials said.

Brussels - The United States "wants to work with Pakistan" to boost security along its border with Afghanistan despite the row over US attacks into Pakistani territory, a senior US official said Wednesday in Brussels.

"We want to work with the Pakistanis because we know that long-term stability and security is only going to come from them," US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Islamabad - Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Wednesday tried to lessen military tensions with Pakistan as he met the country's senior military and civilian leadership.

During his visit, Pakistani helicopter gunships and artillery pounded Taliban militant positions in the country's lawless tribal areas along the Afghan border, killing at least 19 rebels, the army said.

The US pursuit of al-Qaeda and Taliban militants inside Pakistan's tribal belt has strained relations between the two allies and the officials of the two countries have been engaged in a war of words in recent weeks.

Islamabad - Pakistani helicopter gunships and artillery on Wednesday pounded Taliban militant positions in the country's lawless tribal areas along the Afghan border, killing at least 19 rebels, an army spokesman said.

"In the Bajaur tribal district today, the ground troops secured several areas and moved forward toward Loi Sam, the militants' headquarters," Major Murad Khan said Wednesday.

He said the positions insurgents had "fortified around Loi Sam were engaged by artillery and gunship helicopters, leaving at least 19 militants killed and numerous injured."

Islamabad - Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff on Wednesday tried to lessen military tensions with Pakistan as he met the senior military and civilian leadership in Islamabad.

The US pursuit of al-Qaeda and Taliban militants inside Pakistan's tribal regions has strained relations between the two allies and the officials of the two countries have been engaged in a war of words in recent weeks.

Mullen met Pakistan's military chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, in the garrison town of Rawalipindi and later held a meeting with the Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in the capital city.

Karachi - Amid rising rumors of an imminent financial default, the government of Pakistan recently laid out an ambitious emergency plan to dispose of its multibillion-US-dollar energy assets to raise money.

Among the first in line is the sale of rich Qadirpur gas field in southern Sindh province, just 260 miles north-east from the port city Karachi.

With whopping reserves of around 2.9 trillion cubic feet, the gas field is considered worth more than 3 billion dollars in international markets and is also regarded as a vital strategic asset.