Official: Pakistan army kills 25 suspected militants in overnight raids near Afghan border
By APSaturday, April 17, 2010
Pakistan army kills 25 militants in overnight raid
PARACHINAR, Pakistan — Pakistani security forces backed by artillery and helicopters targeted militant positions near the Afghan border, killing at least 25 suspected insurgents, an official said Saturday.
Local government official Samiullah Khan said several other insurgents were wounded when the military attacked militant positions in the troubled Orakzai tribal region late Friday.
Helicopters also targeted militants in some mountainous areas of Orakzai on Saturday, he said.
About 210,000 civilians have fled from Orakzai since the fighting began at the end of last year, including nearly 50,000 people who have left in the last month when ground forces moved into the area to flush out insurgents.
Khan said troops had cleared almost all urban areas of militants and ground forces are now moving toward mountainous areas to flush out militants who are still believed to be hiding there.
