Officials: Battles in Pakistan’s Orakzai tribal area kill 13 more suspected militants

Officials: 13 militant suspects killed in Pakistan

PARACHINAR, Pakistan — Officials say Pakistani troops have killed 13 suspected insurgents in the Orakzai tribal region near Afghanistan.

Local official Jahanzeb Khan says eight militants died after a battle over a checkpoint in the Bezod area of Orakzai. Airstrikes killed five more in the Kasha area later Tuesday. Five alleged militants also were arrested in the Feroz Khel area.

Two intelligence officials confirmed the account on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.

The military escalated an offensive in Orakzai in mid-March after many Pakistani Taliban fighters fled there to avoid a separate offensive in South Waziristan tribal region.

The information is difficult to verify independently. Access to the region is restricted.