PESHAWAR: One security forces personnel was killed while three others were injured in a roadside explosion in Tirah valley of Khyber agency on Friday.

Sources told DawnNews that security forces were on routine patrol in Sandana area of Tirah Valey when the road side explosion occurred.

One soldier was killed while three others were injured in what is said to be an improvised explosive device (IED) blast.

Security forces cordoned off the area after the incident and moved the injured to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Peshawar for treatment.

The semi-autonomous tribal areas on the Afghan border have for years been a hideout for Islamist militants of all stripes, including Al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban as well as foreign fighters such as Uzbeks and Uighurs.

Pakistan too began a long-awaited push to clear insurgent bases from North Waziristan last June after a bloody Taliban attack on Karachi airport finally sank faltering peace talks.

The forces cleared much of the Bara plain in Operation Khyber One launched in October 2014 while in a follow-on operation named Khyber-2 cleared the fierce Tirah terrain consisting of deep valleys and high mountains.

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