Pakistani troops killed seven militants in clashes in Bajaur tribal district near the Afghan border while Taliban rebels slaughtered an alleged spy, officials said Sunday. Troops launched a mortar attack on suspected militant hideouts in the rugged Bajaur tribal district overnight after their check posts came under attack, security officials said. "Five militants were killed in the mortar fire targeting suspected militant hideouts," an official said, requesting anonymity. Separately, militants also attacked two security posts in another tribal district of South Waziristan late Saturday, wounding three soldiers, officials said adding that two militants were killed in retaliatory strikes. Meanwhile, officials said that Taliban militants in the area slit the throat of a 35-year-old man after accusing him of spying for US troops across the border in Afghanistan. The body was found dumped in a field on the outskirts of Khar, the main town in Bajaur district and a letter placed near the body said "This man was an American spy," local officials said.