PESHAWAR: Twelve terrorists were killed in a clash with security forces near Dattakhel in North Waziristan on Sunday. Four soldiers also lost their lives in the exchange of fire, the Inter-Services Public Relation said in a statement.

The statement, however, did not give details of the clash in Ghaziza area of tehsil Dattakhel near the Afghan border. It said the fleeing terrorists also left behind the bodies of their three associates.

But a spokesman for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan said in a statement that an improvised explosive device planted in the area had hit a vehicle of security forces, killing nine personnel, including an officer.

The claims made by both sides could not be verified through independent sources because journalists have no access to the troubled region.

Security forces backed by Air Force planes have been carrying out targeted operations in Dattakhel. Unlike Miramshah and Mirali, civilians have not been evacuated from Dattakhel.

ISPR says fleeing militants left bodies of three associates near Afghan border

An official told Dawn that security forces were conducting a search operation in Ghaziza when the IED hit one of their vehicles. According to him, three soldiers died on the spot while five others suffered injuries. They were taken to a military hospital in Bannu garrison, where one of them died.

The soldiers killed on the spot were identified as Saeedur Rehman, Mohammad Saleem and Fazal Amin.

Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif visited Shawal on Friday, the day military announced that the preliminary phase of the operation in the valley had been successfully completed and it was now dominating all peaks around it, ahead of the final push to flush out militants from their last redoubt near the Afghan border.

Meanwhile, three mortar shells fired from Afghanistan landed near the Ghulam Khan checkpost on Saturday night, but did not cause any loss of life.

According to officials, the shells were fired from the Terkhubi camp in Khost province where the Afghan National Army has its base camp.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2015

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