PESHAWAR, July 17: Security forces killed 17 suspected foreign militants, four women and children among them, in a gunbattle near the Afghan border in the North Waziristan Agency on Saturday night.

One soldier was also killed in the clash in the Waziri Kot area on the outskirts of Miramshah town. Both sides used heavy weapons in the six-hour fight.

According to some people, most of the dead were possibly of Uzbek origin. Their bodies were shifted to the Combined Military Hospital in Bannu by helicopters.

The Inter-Services Public Relations confirmed in a press release that some women and young people were among the dead and security forces recovered arms and ammunition from the place after the gunfight.

The military authorities blamed militants for using the women as shield to escape.

The statement said that four passports found at the place indicated that some of the militants were nationals of Kazakhstan.

Unofficial reports suggested that security forces cordoned off some mud-houses in the Waziri Kot area at 11pm on Saturday following reports that some militants were hiding there.

As a search operation was under way, two vehicles — a pick-up and a truck — came out of the residential area and tried to speed away, but were stopped. The vehicles were apparently heading towards the Dattakhel area.

Troops asked the inmates of the vehicles to come down for identification and search, but they lobbed a hand-grenade, killing a soldier.

The troops opened fire on the vehicles and the exchange of fire lasted more than six hours which created panic in the area.

Area residents said security forces fired tracers to lit the area so that the militants could not escape taking advantage of darkness.

A source said that two women and two children, including a six-month baby, were among the dead and the authorities had refused to hand over bodies for burial.

According to the ISPR, security forces and the political authorities carried out a joint search operation in a few residential compounds and found material believed to be used in terrorist activities.

While the operation was in progress, militants tried to break the cordon and escape in two vehicles. Troops asked them to stop the vehicles following which the militants resorted to firing and lobbed grenades.

“The political administration and the elders of the area tried to persuade the inmates of the vehicles to surrender, but they refused,” the ISPR said.

In the ensuing gunbattle, the troops killed the militants and captured a few others who were injured.

The ISPR said security forces also arrested 16 local facilitators and recovered detonators, explosive material, switches, circuit diagrams, written instructions and design improvised explosive devices.

Diaries and hand-written notes, presumably in Kazakh language, were also found.

Independent sources said that six of the arrested people were local watchmen who were taken away for interrogation.

Other reports said that paramilitary forces also cordoned off some houses in Inghar Kili, east of Miramshah, and carried out a search operation, but did not apprehend any suspect from the area.