PARACHINAR, Feb 10: Security forces killed 11 militants and wounded 19 in the northwest on Friday, officials said, in a crackdown in the Kurram tribal region near the border with Afghanistan.

The military fired artillery shells at three suspected hideouts in Mamozai area of the region, where dozens of people have beenkilled in fierce fighting between security forces and militants in the last few weeks.

The death toll could not be independently verified.

The military has been conducting operations against militants in Kurram since the beginning of the year.—Reuters