MIRAMSHAH: Pakistani security forces Thursday claim to have killed 10 more militants mostly Uzbek nationals, following last night’s clashes that left 23 terrorists dead in North Waziristan tribal agency bordering Afghanistan.

According to an ISPR statement, security forces launched a search operation upon ‘confirmed intelligence reports’ that the militants were planning to attack the troops with IED-laden vehicles, killing 10 militants in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan.

Most of the militants killed in the afternoon’s operation were reportedly Uzbek nationals, it added.

Eariler on Wednesday night, 23 militants were killed in exchange of fire with security forces in North Waziristan.

The clash followed a suicide attack on a military checkpoint which killed at least five soldiers and wounded 34 others. The attack had taken place while the security men were offering prayer in a mosque at the post.

The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesperson, talking to Dawn.com, claimed that the militant group was behind the suicide attack and that it was carried out to avenge ex-TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud's death.

North Waziristan, one of the seven tribal districts along the Afghan border, is a hotbed for al Qaeda and Taliban militants.

The TTP has led a bloody campaign against the Pakistani state in recent years, carrying out hundreds of attacks on security forces and government targets, mainly in the country's northwest.