Peshawar: Nine Taliban fighters,
including a commander, were gunned down by security forces
during clashes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the nearby
tribal belt in northwest Pakistan today, officials said.
Eight militants were killed during a clash with troops
in Mohmand tribal region.
Taliban commander Fazal Raheem was shot dead during a
gun battle in the Swat valley, officials said.
Under US pressure, Pakistan launched a military
offensive in May last year against militants and pushed them
out of the Taliban bastion of Swat.
Pakistani security forces have flushed out the Taliban
from many parts of the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan and
the army is expected to move into North Waziristan.
The Pakistani military claims it has killed nearly
1,000 militants since an offensive was launched in Orakzai
Agency earlier this year though the figure cannot be
independently confirmed as journalists are barred from the
conflict zone.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, June 27, 2010, 21:10