Pakistan army kills 19 militants

Pakistani security forces killed six pro-Taliban militants in fighting in North Waziristan on Sunday, the military said, after…

Pakistani security forces killed six pro-Taliban militants in fighting in North Waziristan on Sunday, the military said, after overnight battles left 13 rebels dead.

Violence has intensified in the volatile tribal region on the border with Afghanistan after militants tore up a peace deal with the government last week.

A gun battle broke out between the security forces and the militants on Sunday after five soldiers were wounded in a roadside bomb blast near Miranshah, North Waziristan's main town.

"Six militants were killed in that clash," a military spokesman said.

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The security forces killed another 13 militants in overnight clashes in Ghulam Khan area, 15 km north of Miranshah towards the Afghan border.

Armed militants, in small groups, attempted to attack several army posts in the area but security forces foiled their bid.

Seven militants were arrested while soldiers suffered no losses in these clashes, a spokesman said.

Pakistan's Waziristan region has long been regarded as a safe haven for al Qaeda and Taliban militants sheltered by their local Pashtun allies.

Pakistani authorities struck a deal with the local militants last September in a bid to isolate foreign militants and curb their cross-border incursions into Afghanistan.

But the militants scrapped the deal last week, adding to a concern over a deteriorating security situation in the region.