Pakistani security forces say at least 25 militants and three soldiers
have died in the latest round of fighting in a northwestern tribal
region near Afghanistan.
Military officials said on Saturday the militants were killed in battles that broke out Friday in the Bajaur region in the Loi Sam and Rashakai areas. They say at least two of the soldiers killed were officers.
Bajaur is a key battleground in Pakistan's effort to drive out
militants believed to be responsible for deadly attacks inside Pakistan
and on neighboring Afghanistan.
The military says it has killed at least one-thousand Taliban and
al-Qaida militants in the past month. More than 60 soldiers have died
in the operation.
Pakistan is recovering from a massive suicide car bombing that killed
53 people in the capital, Islamabad, last week. The explosion gutted a
luxury Marriott hotel and seriously shook the people's confidence in their security.