Five killed in separate clashes near Swat Valley

Police guard, two Levies personnel among dead.

MALAKAND: At least five people including three security personnel were killed on Wednesday in two militant clashes near Swat Valley, officials said.

In the first incident, unidentified men fired at a car in the Kooza Bandi village of Swat Valley, killing three people including a police guard, district police chief Sher Akbar told AFP.

In a separate incident, up to six militants stormed a checkpoint in the northwestern town of Dargai, that lies in the Malakand region neighbouring Swat. Two Levies personnel were killed in the attack, Express News reported.

"Two security force personnel embraced martyrdom in an attack at the checkpoint," Fayyaz Khan, a local government official said.

The attackers fled after retaliatory firing by Levies personnel.

The bodies of the deceased, identified as Arshad and Imran, were shifted to a local hospital, and then sent to their hometowns.

Security forces have started a search operation after the attack.