PESHAWAR: At least 29 militants were killed and 15 others injured in clashes between security forces and militants in the Upper Orakzai region on Friday, security officials said.
The security sources said that a soldier was also injured and three militant hideouts were destroyed during the attacks.
They added that at least five militants were killed when security forces and militants clashed in the Sanpaga Kandao area of the Upper Orakzai tehsil. One of the dead insurgents was identified as Zahidullah, a key commander in the area.
In another clash between militants and security forces at the Afghan Top area of the Dabori area of Upper Orakzai, a soldier was injured and eight militants were killed, while three others were injured.
Earlier in the day, helicopter gunships pounded militant hideouts in Maullapati and Ghundai areas of the agency. Security sources claimed that at least 16 militants were killed and 12 others injured in the attacks. Three militant hideouts in the area were also destroyed. Meanwhile, Inspector General Frontier Corps (IGFC) Major General Tariq Khan paid a short visit to Lower Orakzai Agency’s headquarters Kalaya, where he met troops and was briefed on the military operations against insurgents in the area. Security forces on Thursday reclaimed control of Upper tehsil headquarters Ghalju from militants. Ghalju town was a stronghold of militants in the Upper Orakzai region, where security forces have been engaged in conflict against the Taliban for past four months.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 24th, 2010.
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