Islamabad: Three Taliban militants, including
a suicide bomber, were killed and two security personnel
injured in an encounter between militants and security forces
in the picturesque Swat valley of northwest Pakistan on Thursday.
The gun fight erupted when security forces were conducting
a search operation on the outskirts of Mingora, the main city
in Swat district, located 160 km from Islamabad.
The search operation was launched after troops received a
tip-off that a suicide bomber and other militants were present
in the area.
The security forces surrounded a compound and ordered the
militants to surrender.
The militants then opened fire on the troops, who
retaliated and gunned down a Taliban fighter.
The bomber detonated his explosive vest, killing himself
and another militant, officials said.
Two security personnel were injured while two militants
were arrested by the troops.
Curfew was clamped in Mingora, Saidu Sharif and nearby
areas for an indefinite period.
Incidentally, the Taliban were flushed out of most parts
of Swat following a massive operation in 2009.
However, most of the top militant leaders of the region,
including Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan commander Maulana
Fazlullah, continue to be at large.
PTI
