Nine militants killed in Swat, Mohmand

Security forces continue operations against militants in northwest regions of the country. PHOTO: EPA

SWAT / MOHMAND: Nine militants were killed in clashes with security forces in Swat and Mohmand agency on Saturday, according to government officials.

Five militants  were killed in upper Swat during an operation early morning, while two security personnel are injured.

In a separate incident, security forces killed four militants and wounded three in a clash that erupted after insurgents attacked a military check post in the northwestern tribal region of Mohmand on the Afghan border, senior government official Amjad Ali Khan said. Militants often dispute and dismiss official death tolls.

The army says the valley has been largely cleared after a military operation launched in April, 2009.

Eariler on Friday, four militants were killed during clashes with security forces in Charbagh and Galibagh. In South Waziristan, a clash in Janta, also on Friday, killed 16 militants, including Asmatullah Shaheen, a close aide of Baitullah Mehsud.