Taliban commanders among 40 militants killed in Swat valley

Forty militants, including two senior Taliban commanders, were killed in air strikes on rebel hideouts by Pakistani forces...

Forty militants, including two senior Taliban commanders, were killed in air strikes on rebel hideouts by Pakistani forces in Swat valley while a missile strike in the tribal belt claimed four lives on Saturday.

The strikes by fighter jets were carried out late on Friday night in the Peochar area of Swat in the North West Frontier Province following intelligence reports that local Taliban chief Maulana Fazlullah was hiding in the area. However, Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said on Saturday that Fazlullah was safe.

An army spokesman in Swat told TV channels that up to 40 militants, including two senior commanders, had died in the air strikes on Taliban positions. The Taliban’s command and communications structure and an ammunition depot were destroyed, he said.

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Muslim Khan said Taliban commander Mufti Saeedur Rehman and local journalist Abdul Aziz Shaheen, who was abducted by militants two days ago, were killed in the attacks. Khan said security forces targeted 15 locations in Matta sub-district of Swat.

Meanwhile, a missile strike on a compound in South Waziristan killed four persons. The missile, which was apparently fired from Afghanistan, hit a compound in an area 15 km from Wana, South Waziristan.

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