Pakistani troops killed up to 100 militants on Thursday in a restive northwestern tribal area near the Afghan border after the rebels ambushed a security patrol, a security official said.
"We launched strikes against militant hideouts in Bajaur and destroyed several compounds they were
using," the official, who asked not to be identified, told AFP.
"According to the latest information from the area, between 80 and 100 militants were killed."
The ambush took place near the town of Inayat Kili, the official said, adding that the subsequent military strikes had destroyed an entire market used by the Taliban militants for cover.
"The latest death toll was based on intelligence intercepts of militant communications," he said.