Pakistani troops on Sunday stepped up the crackdown on militants in a tribal region near Peshawar as the restive Swat valley bordering Afghanistan witnessed fresh violence that killed four people, including two soldiers who died in a bomb blast.
About 5,000 paramilitary Frontier Corps troops backed by artillery and helicopter gunships launched a drive against militants in Bara area of Khyber Agency on Saturday, in the wake of clashes between rival militant groups that had left 56 people dead. More forces were sent to Bara on Sunday to patrol the region, where an indefinite curfew has been imposed.
The troops have destroyed eight militant bases in the Khyber Agency, including the headquarters of the Lashkar-e-Islam, the dominant rebel group in the tribal region. The group's leader Mangal Bagh and his aides have reportedly fled to the remote Tirah Valley.
In the troubled Swat district of the North West Frontier Province, two soldiers were killed when their patrol was targeted with a remote-controlled bomb in Matta area. Two more persons were killed in the same area by unknown gunmen who entered their house and shot them dead, TV channels reported.
Ten officials of the NWFP water department were kidnapped by militants in Hangu district on Saturday. Reports said the officials were kidnapped by militants from Doaba, a stronghold of the Taliban.
The Doaba area is controlled by Pakistani Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud's deputy Mullah Hakeem.
Following the launch of the operation in Khyber Agency, Meshud said he was suspending all peace talks with the government.
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