Pakistan security forces killed 30 militants in gun battles in the mountainous northwestern Khyber region today, a senior official said, but a spokesman for the militants denied suffering any losses.
Both sides have been making conflicting claims about their success in clashes in Tirah Valley, near the Afghan border, and there is no way to confirm casualties independently as the area is sealed off to journalists.
"The security forces had started advancement towards the hilltops where the terrorists had established sanctuaries," a senior security official in Peshawar, who requested that he not be identified, said. "So far, 30 terrorists have been killed and a number of their compounds destroyed."
The bodies of 10 Pakistani Taliban fighters were taken away along with weapons and ammunition, the military said in a statement. Three soldiers were also wounded, it said.
Salahuddin Ayubi, a spokesman for the Lashkar-e-Islami, which announced an alliance with the Pakistani Taliban earlier this month, denied suffering losses on Saturday.
"We didn't suffer human losses. Our fighters are engaged in fighting and didn't vacate their posts in Tirah," he told Reuters.
The Pakistani and Afghan Taliban share a similar jihadist ideology but operate as separate entities. The Pakistani Taliban is focused on toppling the state and establishing strict Islamic rule.
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