23 seconds ago 2009-11-30T16:19:50-08:00
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) – Pakistani troops killed 13 militants in two separate gunfights Saturday in the northwest Swat valley, officials said.
Five militants were killed after a group of insurgents ambushed a military convoy near Totakan village, Malakand district administration chief Siraj Ahmed said.
Eight more insurgents were killed during a search operation in thick forest near Mangaltan village, a local military spokesman said, adding that the soldiers seized a large number of arms and ammunition.
The death toll could not be verified independently as the area is still under military operation.
Swat had slipped out of government control after radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah rose up in July 2007, commanding thousands of followers who beheaded opponents, burnt schools and fought to enforce Islamic law.
An anti-Taliban offensive in and around northwest Swat valley earlier this year forced nearly two million people from their homes, creating a massive humanitarian crisis in the impoverished country.
Most have since returned home after the military in July declared the area safe. But unrest continues, with a suicide bomb by Taliban rebels in Shangla district near Swat killing 45 people last month.
Pakistan launched another punishing air and ground offensive in South Waziristan tribal district on October 17, with 30,000 troops backed by fighter jets and helicopter gunships.
