Army troops launched a new military operation on Sunday to clear out armed militants that were spotted in remote areas of the strife-torn Swat valley, where hundreds have died in two months of clashes.
An unidentified number of soldiers were involved in land and air operations between the towns of Matta and Chuprial after local residents reported that small bands of militants were looting and terrorising villages.
"They are maligning their own religion," army spokesman Major-General Waheed Arshad said. "They are common criminals."
Army officials said in early December that they had killed more than 300 militants and cleared most of the area, but the insurgents continue to carry out guerrilla attacks and suicide bombings against security forces. During the weekend, security forces captured 10 suspected militants in raids on three villages in Swat, and at least 10 civilians were killed when errant artillery shells fired by the army landed in a residential area.
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