Eight militants killed in Pakistan

Islamabad: Pakistani troops killed eight militants during an operation in Khyber Agency while the bodies of nine Taliban fighters were found dumped in another part of the lawless tribal belt, officials said today. Security officials said a clash erupted this morning when troops attacked a militant hideout in Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency near the border with Afghanistan.

Eight militants were killed in the gun battle. The troops were backed by combat jets. Security forces launched the operation in Tirah Valley after obtaining information about the presence of an "important militant commander" and his fighters, the officials said. Some reports said the operation was carried out in retaliation for the abduction and killing of 22 personnel of the Levies militia. The personnel were taken away by militants who attacked three check posts near Peshawar on Thursday. The bullet-riddled bodies of 21 security personnel were found in Frontier Region Peshawar yesterday while one seriously injured personnel died later in hospital. In a separate development, the bullet-riddled bodies of nine Pakistani Taliban fighters were found beside a road in Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan Agency, early this morning, security officials told the media. Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan confirmed to journalists in the northwest that the bodies were of Taliban fighters who had been arrested by security forces. He said the Taliban would take revenge for the killing of its fighters. Local residents said the bodies were dumped by the road last night. The spot where the bodies were found is located within a stronghold of militant groups. Officials said they did not know who had killed the men. PTI