By DPA,
Islamabad : At least 51 Taliban militants and two policemen were killed in airstrikes, clashes and a roadside bombing in northwest Pakistan, officials said Thursday.
The latest violence comes as Pakistan is wrapping up its more than four-week-long military offensive in Swat and three nearby districts in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and preparing for a major ground assault to hunt down Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud in the adjoining lawless tribal district of South Waziristan.
According to an army statement, the troops killed 23 militants during an exchange of fire in three areas of Swat in the past 24 hours to Thursday evening.
The operation in Swat has so far eliminated more than 1,600 Taliban fighters, forcing the rest to either flee to the mountains or other Taliban strongholds, particularly in the tribal region.
To avenge the military action, the Taliban have recently carried out several attacks on security forces across the country.
On Thursday a remote-controlled bomb struck a police patrol unit on the outskirts of Peshawar at shortly after dawn when officers were responding to an emergency call in Peshawar, the NWFP capital.
“The driver of the patrol car died on the spot while two constables and two passers-by were wounded,” police officer Riazul Islam said. The injured were rushed to a hospital, where one officer died.
The bombing followed overnight attacks by helicopter gunships on the hideouts of Islamist militants in the Khyber tribal district, which borders Peshawar.
The aerial raids were preceded by the killing of a pro-government tribal elder, Malik Guli Shah, and his two guards by gunmen in Khyber.
“Our three helicopters engaged several positions of Lashkar-e-Islam in the Sandapal and Akakhel areas of Tirah Valley (Khyber district) late Wednesday,” said Wajid Ali, a spokesman for the paramilitary Frontier Corps.
“According to our information, 28 terrorists including an important commander died and around a dozen more were injured. Five vehicles used by the insurgents were also destroyed,” he added.
Lashkar-e-Islam is a Taliban group led by the warlord Mangal Bagh, who is also believed to be behind attacks on the NATO supply route running through the mountainous district and strikes on Pakistani security personnel in the area.
Separately, warring Shia and Sunni groups announced a ceasefire late Wednesday, after 32 people were killed in a day’s fighting in Kurram tribal district. The clashes have so far left more than 150 people dead and over 200 others wounded.
The district has a long history of sectarian violence but Taliban fleeing from Swat and other nearby areas have joined Sunni tribesmen to intensify the fighting.
Shia fighters have formed a militant group, Mehdi Militia, and reportedly receive support from the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan.