Police in Pakistan say at least five soldiers were killed in a suicide attack in the country's northwestern Swat Valley.
Security
officials say a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into
a security checkpoint in the town of Khawaza Kehla Saturday. At least
four soldiers were wounded.
Pakistan's military launched an
offensive in Swat and surrounding areas in late April after militants
violated a peace deal and began advancing toward the capital, Islamabad.
Officials
call the operation a success and say most of the Taliban insurgents
have been driven from the region. However, Pakistani forces have
encountered some lingering resistance.
The military says eight
militants were killed Saturday in a clash that erupted as soldiers
searched another area of Swat Valley. Two others were detained.
Elsewhere
in northwestern Pakistan, security officials say fighter jets targeted
a suspected militant hideout in the South Waziristan tribal region Saturday.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
