Pakistain army, paramilitary troops and the air force launched a joint operation "to evict terrorists' stronghold of Walidad" in the northwest district of
Mohmand... Named for the Mohmand clan of the Sarban Pahstuns, a truculent, quarrelsome lot. In Pakistain, the Mohmands infest their eponymous Agency, metastasizing as far as the plains of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar, Charsadda, and Mardan. Mohmands are also scattered throughout Pakistan in urban areas including Bloody Karachi, Lahore, and Quetta. In Afghanistan they are mainly found in Nangarhar and Kunar...
on Saturday, it said.
"Ground operation was preceded with precise strikes by Pakistain Air Force aircraft on terrorists' bunkers and positions," it said.
"After an intensive fight, troops were able to secure Walidad Top and surrounding areas of the mountain and managed to kill 25 terrorists, while remaining decamped across the border," it said.
Four soldiers were killed and eight maimed.
Local officials earlier said three soldiers were killed and at least 13 maimed when dozens of Taliban stormed a check post in the region near the Afghan border.
The pre-dawn attack was mounted in Baizai village of Mohmand facing the eastern Afghan province of Kunar, local administration chief Maqsood Hussain told AFP.
"The myrmidons, believed to be more than 50 and armed with light and heavy weapons, launched an attack on Walidad Kor post, triggering a shootout that lasted about an hour," he said.
Three soldiers of the paramilitary Frontier Corps were killed and at least 13 maimed, he said adding that four gunnies were killed and an unspecified number maimed.
The military statement said "troops are consolidating their positions in the area and search operation for remnants is in progress."
Mohmand is one of seven districts in Pakistain's semi-autonomous tribal belt where Taliban and al-Qaeda-linked gunnies frequently launch attacks targeting police, government and security officials.
Washington has called the tribal zone the most dangerous place on Earth and the global headquarters of al-Qaeda, where Taliban and other al-Qaeda-linked networks have carved out strongholds.
Since US Navy SEALs killed the late Osama bin Laden
... who now dances with worms...
in Pakistain last month, American officials have been increasing pressure on Islamabad to launch an offensive in the North Wazoo district to destroy myrmidon sanctuaries.