Pakistani forces kill up to 70 militants in Swat

ISLAMABAD, Nov 1 (Reuters) Pakistani security forces killed up to 70 Islamist militants in the latest fighting in a restive northwestern region today, a provincial official said, taking the death toll to more than 180 in a week of violence.

The new clashes broke out after militants launched attacks on security forces in Khawzakhela district in Swat valley early in the morning.

''The security forces retaliated and we have confirmed reports that 60 to 70 militants were killed,'' Badshah Gul Wazir, the top official at the home ministry in the North West Frontier Province, told Reuters.

He said there were no casualities among the government forces.

REUTERS PJ PM1610