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Asia-Pacific

Pakistan army kill 12 militants in northwest

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-11-25 20:31

ISLAMABAD: At least 12 militants were killed and 14 others injured in Pakistan's northwest during the last 24 hours, official sources said Wednesday.

Nine militants were killed and 14 others injured Wednesday during the exchange of fire between militants and Pakistani security forces in Orakzai tribal agency, according to the military sources.

The soldiers also destroyed five hideouts of Taliban militants in the area.

Meanwhile, security forces continued search and clearance operations in South Waziristan tribal region, which Washington considers as the center of Taliban and al-Qaeda remnants, defused dozens of Improvised Explosive Devices and recovered a large quantity of arms and ammunitions, the Inter Services Public Relations said in the daily press release.

During operations militants fired rockets at security men, which was effectively responded, the statement said. In a village, security forces found a market used as training center, where many Jihadi and training books were recovered.

In Swat and Malakand area of North West Frontier Province (NWFP) ,on a tip-off, security forces carried out search operation, killed three militants and apprehended four others.

According to the army statistics, Pakistani security forces have killed more than 540 militants since they launched the ground assault on October 17 in the South Waziristan, advancing towards the main base of Taliban militants in Pakistan. The army said that about 30,000 soldiers are in place to take on an estimated 10,000 hard-core Taliban militants in the lawless area.

With controlling major bases of Taliban militants in the area, Pakistani security forces are conducting operations in neighboring Khyber and Orakzai Agencies to purge the two tribal regions of the militants and protect Peshawar, the capital of NWFP, and other major cities from militants' attacks.