More than 100 militants and nine soldiers have died in four days of fierce fighting in a tribal region bordering Afghanistan, the military said on Sunday. Fighting was mostly concentrated in Loisam area of Bajaur district, known for al Qaeda and Taliban hideouts, the paramilitary Frontier Corps said.
"During the last four days more than 100 militants have been killed and nine security personnel have also died," its media centre said in a statement. "The troops casualties may rise as some of their soldiers were missing," a military official told AFP in Islamabad.
Security forces backed by gunship helicopters pounded suspected militant hideouts in the area and heavy exchange of fire continued overnight, he added. The clashes between rebels and security forces began in Bajaur on Wednesday when hundreds of militants attacked a security checkpost, which paramilitary troops had recently reoccupied after several months. Loisam lies on the strategically important road leading towards the main north-western city of Peshawar.