Troops kill 50-60 militants in NW Pakistan

Islamabad, Oct 29: Pakistani troops killed between 50-60 Islamist militants during fierce fighting in the restive northwestern Swat valley yesterday, the Army said today.

''The reports which I have from the police and Frontier Corps people who were doing this law enforcement action was about 50-60 militants died yesterday,'' Army spokesman Major-General Waheed Arshad said.

Swat, a scenic valley close to Pakistan's lawless tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, has seen a surge in militant activity since Maulana Fazlullah, a pro-Taliban cleric, reportedly launched an illegal FM radio station and urged a jihad, or Muslim holy war.

Reuters
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