On the war fronts

Pakistan briefly reopened the Khyber Pass on Friday, three days after shutting it to begin a military offensive against Taliban guerrillas. The pass is the most important supply route for U.S. and other NATO troops in Afghanistan.

The main road through the pass, in northwestern Pakistan, was open for six hours Friday and was expected to be open for the same duration today, said Tariq Hayat, the top official for the political district. "As our comfort zone increases, we will be easing off on the restriction of movement," Hayat said.

The critical test will not come, however, until after the Khyber military operation is finished. Some militants are thought to have moved to other areas to avoid the offensive, and after similar military operations in western Pakistan, the guerrillas simply migrated back and resumed their attacks.

Gunmen killed two people when they opened fire on a checkpoint manned by members of the Sons of Iraq in Jurf al-Sakhar about 40 miles south of Baghdad, police said. Four people were wounded.

Army Pvt. Benjamin B. Tollefson, 22, Concord, Calif., died Wednesday in Balad, of wounds suffered from indirect fire in Ghazaliya. He was assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

NEWS SERVICES