Pakistani troops killed 27 militants and arrested another 10 over the past day in an ongoing offensive against the Taliban in the country's northwest, the military said today.
Security forces are nearing the end of an operation launched close to three months ago in the Swat valley and the nearby districts of Buner and Lower Dir, but they still face pockets of resistance in some areas.
As many as 16 militants were killed in Lower Dir alone, where troops killed over 50 in fighting on Sunday and Monday, most of whom had fled there from Swat.
The military says it has killed nearly 1,800 militants, but critics say few leaders have been eliminated. Independent casualty estimates are unavailable.
Violence across northwest Pakistan and the spread of Taliban influence have heightened concerns about insecurity in the nuclear-armed country, a key ally in the West's mission to stabilise Afghanistan and destroy al-Qaeda.
Reuters