Orakzai , Bajaur clashes and blast

PESHAWAR,: Two soldiers and at least 15 suspected militants were killed during a clash in the Orakzai Agency on Tuesday, security sources said.

Sources said militants attacked a check post in the Shirin Dara area of Orakzai, resulting in a clash that also left several militants and six security personnel injured. The attack was successfully repulsed. Some of the injured security personnel are said to be in critical condition. Tuesday’s clash comes as the army is engaged in an offensive against local and foreign militants in the northwestern tribal regions of North Waziristan and Khyber.

Orakzai is one of Pakistan’s seven semi-autonomous tribal regions in the area, where Pakistani Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked militants are said to have carved out strongholds. In Bajaur Agency, at least two people were killed and one tehsildar was injured in a bombing targeting a security personnel vehicle in Salarzai tehsil of Bajaur Agency on Tuesday. According to sources, the vehicle was targeted by what appears to be an Improvised Explosive Device. The vehicle was completely destroyed. INP