(AKI/DAWN) - At least 13 suspected Taliban militants including a local commander were killed and several others were injured in a clash with security forces in Pakistan's volatile North West Frontier Province at the weekend.Helicopter gunships shelled suspected Taliban hideouts in the Sandukhel and Mullahkhel areas of Kandaro tehsil in the Mohmand tribal region late Saturday, killing a number of militants, including their local commander Yaqub.
Some militants were killed when their vehicle was attacked by a helicopter. At least 40 shops and a petrol pump were bulldozed in different parts of the tribal agency by troops during an operation to clear the area of suspected Taliban militants. According to local people, troops pounded hideouts of militants with mortars late Saturday and clashes continued early Sunday.
The violent clashes occurred after Taliban attacked Pakistani troops conducting searches in the region. "They launched the attack from a hideout. Our troops responded quickly and destroyed it," said Miraj Khan, a local government official.