At least four Pakistani soldiers and 14 militants have been killed in a new military offensive in the northwest.
Officials said that the soldiers and insurgents were killed in the remote mountainous Tirah Valley in the Khyber tribal district on Afghanistan's border, where the Taliban have been battling a local pro-government militia since January.
Security officials say at least five soldiers were also injured in the clash.
The clashes and casualties could not be independently verified because the remote battlefield is inaccessible to journalists.
Fighting in the Tirah Valley has displaced some 44,000 civilians since January.
Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan, the main insurgent group in the tribal areas, is trying to control the strategic mountainous region to dominate the neighboring Kurram, Orakzai, and Peshawar valley regions.
Officials said that the soldiers and insurgents were killed in the remote mountainous Tirah Valley in the Khyber tribal district on Afghanistan's border, where the Taliban have been battling a local pro-government militia since January.
Security officials say at least five soldiers were also injured in the clash.
The clashes and casualties could not be independently verified because the remote battlefield is inaccessible to journalists.
Fighting in the Tirah Valley has displaced some 44,000 civilians since January.
Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan, the main insurgent group in the tribal areas, is trying to control the strategic mountainous region to dominate the neighboring Kurram, Orakzai, and Peshawar valley regions.
