By IANS,
Islamabad : At least 31 militants were killed and 28 others, including a Taliban commander, were arrested in separate operations in northwestern Pakistan, according to a media report Monday.
According to the Pakistan Army’s Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR), 11 militants were killed and 28 others, including the wanted commander identified as Kabir, were arrested during a search operation in Swat Valley in North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Geo TV reported.
Security forces also recovered a huge quantity of weapons and looted items hidden at a college near Minorga, the ISPR said, without giving details of the recovery.
Several hideouts have also been destroyed in the region, which has been witnessing a major anti-Taliban offensive by the Pakistan Army for over two months.
In a separate operation, 20 more militants were killed and several others injured in Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency bordering Afghanistan, the report said citing sources with the paramilitary Frontier Crops (FC).
Pakistani troops are wrapping up a 10-week offensive to expel Taliban from Swat and three neighbouring districts.
So far, over 1,700 militants and 160 soldiers have been killed in the army operations in the region, known for hilly terrain and thickly forested valleys.
The fighting displaced over 1.9 million people, who have started going back to their homes after the army took control of major towns. But violence continues, as the army has been trying to clear the remote northern belt of the Swat region.