Pakistani security officials say militants killed eight members of a government paramilitary force during an early morning raid on a checkpoint at a village in the country's restive northwest.
At least five militants were also killed in the battle, which started shortly after midnight on July 18 and lasted several hours.
The paramilitaries were serving with Pakistan's Frontier Corps and were at the village of Ghundai in the Jamrud area of the Khyber tribal district.
One official said three militants were also arrested after the gunbattle, but about a dozen withdrew from the battle and escaped.
Meanwhile, in the nearby city of Peshawar, a police officer was killed early on July 18 when a bomb exploded near a police van.
The violence comes as government forces continue an offensive launched in late May against Islamic militants in the nearby tribal region of North Waziristan.
