Military: Clashes in restive northwest Pakistan kill 21 militants, 1 soldier
By APFriday, July 24, 2009
Military: Clashes kill 21 militants in NW Pakistan
ISLAMABAD — Clashes in northwestern Pakistan, where the army has been winding down an offensive against the Taliban, have left 21 militants and one soldier dead, security forces said Friday.
The bloodiest clash occurred in the Lower Dir district, an area near the Afghan border where the paramilitary Frontier Corps said security forces killed 16 militants.
The casualty figures could not be independently confirmed as access for journalists to the area is restricted.
In the neighboring Swat Valley, five militants and one soldier were killed in clashes that broke out during search and clearance operations over the previous 24 hours, the military said in a statement Friday, adding that another six suspected militants were arrested.
The army launched its offensive in Swat and nearby areas in late April to dislodge the Taliban, who had swept south from the valley into the district of Buner, which lies 60 miles (100 kilometer) from Islamabad, despite a peace deal that had effectively handed them control of Swat.
The fighting dislodged some 2 million people, and hundreds of thousands have been returning in the past two weeks since security forces declared the area largely clear of militants.
Adnan Khan, a spokesman for the emergency response unit supervising the return, said more than 5,200 families returned to Swat, Buner and Dir on Friday, following a one-day halt in the government’s refugee return program the day before.
