PESHAWAR, March 18: Gunship helicopters pounded suspected positions in central tehsil of Kurram Agency on Friday and killed at least eight alleged militants and wounded seven others, officials said.

Helicopters attacked militant hideouts in Chinarek area of central tehsil. Two hideouts were attacked which left eight militants dead and seven others injured. The official claim could not be verified from independent sources.

Meanwhile, unidentified persons kidnapped two drivers from Lower Kurram on Thursday. They were going back to Thall in Hangu district from Parachinar when armed men stopped their vehicle and took them to some unknown location.

In another incident, a tribesman was killed in a clash with militants in Upper Kurram on Friday.

The militants fired rockets on tribal people in Pewar area from the nearby mountains. One of the mortar shells fell on a house and as a result a tribesman, Nasrat Hussain Turi, was killed. The tribal people retaliated and the crossfire continued for some hours with intervals.

The local people expressed concern over the growing number of attacks and asked the government to take stern action against the militants.Separately, five militants were killed in an exchange of fire with the security forces in Matta tehsil of Swat valley on Friday.

Official sources said that on a tip-off the security forces cordoned off Baha area of Matta tehsil.

They spotted suspected militants entering to Swat via Dir.

The forces asked them to surrender but they opened fire. Five alleged militants identified as Imtiaz Ali, Fazal Hadi, Fazal Wahid, Akber Hussain, and Mohammad Rahim were killed in the ensuing encounter.

All the dead hailed from Charbagh tehsil and wanted to security forces in various case of violence.