By Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan
Five militants loyal to Taliban-affiliated Lashkar-e-Islam group were killed in the Khyber Agency tribal region on Thursday, officials said.
The militants had fought a fierce battle with the pro-government tribal militia in the remote Narai Bab area of Tirah valley in the war-torn region.
The Taliban fighters attacked members of the Touhid-ul-Islam group, a pro-government tribal militia better known as a “peace militia,” a senior military official told The Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity.
Seven members of the pro-government group were also injured in the hour long clash, the official said.
The Khyber Agency is one of the seven semi autonomous tribal regions in Pakistan that border on neighboring Afghanistan. The area has been a battleground between security forces and militants since 2002.
The Pakistan army, apparently shifting its focus from lawless North Waziristan, is currently engaged in its “Khyber-one” operation in the Khyber Agency to end the fighting with the Taliban-backed Lashkar-e-Islam group there.
Intelligence agencies believe the militants, fleeing from North Waziristan, have established bases in the far-flung Tirah valley.
The army claims killing over 1,400 militants since the launch of operations on June 15 in North Waziristan, the Khyber Agency, and other tribal areas.
These figures, however, cannot be confirmed due to the absence of independent media in the region.
Over 100 troops have also been killed in landmine blasts and clashes with the Taliban during this period.
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