43 militants killed in Pakistan’s tribal region

Islamabad, June 22 (IANS/EFE) At least 43 militants and four soldiers were killed in a clash in the Pakistani tribal region of Orakzai near the Afghan border, a military spokesperson said Tuesday.

The confrontation started around 1 p.m. in the area of Upper Orakzai, the main base of the militants in the region, when a group comprising of 150 to 200 insurgents attacked a checkpost of the security forces.

According to the military version, the government forces responded to the attack immediately, resulting in the deaths of 43 attackers and four soldiers, and scores being injured on both sides.

At the beginning of this month, the Pakistani military command declared that the anti-Taliban operation in the region had been completed, but since then violent events have continued to be recorded almost every day.

According to the figures of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 205,000 people left their homes in Orakzai fleeing from the conflict since the end of March, when the offensive started.

The Pakistan Army is currently engaged in operations in nearly all the areas that form the tribal belt of the Afghan border and in other conflictive zones in the northwest, such as the Swat valley, where four alleged militants were killed, according to Pakistani media.

–IANS/EFE