PESHAWAR: At least three suspected militants were killed in a clash with security forces on Sunday in Charbagh area of Swat district.

Official sources said that armed militants had attacked the house of Village Defence Committee member Ayub Khan and shot him dead late Saturday.

Security forces launched a search operation soon after the incident and traced the attackers, following which a gunbattle took place in Mangal Tan area of Charbagh, leaving three of the attackers dead, sources said.

The army declared Swat, once known as the “Switzerland of Pakistan”, back under control in July 2009, after defeating radical cleric Fazlullah and his Taliban fighters who waged a two-year campaign of terror in the region.

The operation was arguably Pakistan's most successful offensive to date against the homegrown insurgents who have bombed and killed thousands across the country for the last seven years.