A soldier and 11 Taliban fighters were killed during operations by security forces in the volatile tribal belt in northwest Pakistan today, security officials said.
A soldier was killed when militants attacked a security forces in Tada village in Orakzai Agency, which has witnessed an upsurge in violence since last week.
Six Taliban fighters were killed in a retaliatory action by the troops. Five more militants were killed and six injured when security forces shelled Taliban positions in Kareer area of Mohmand tribal region.
A woman was killed when an artillery shell hit a house in Koband area of Mohmand Agency. In the restive Swat district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, security forces foiled an attempt by the Taliban to destroy a government school in Koza Bandai area.
The school building sustained some damage, officials said. Soon after the incident, security forces launched a search operation in Imamdheri and Koza Bandai, two former hubs of the local Taliban.