2 policemen, 4 militants killed in NW Pakistan

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - At least two policemen and four militants were killed on Wednesday during separate incidents in northwestern Pakistan, according to officials.

Security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in the Azamabad area of the Tank district, near South Waziristan in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and killed four most-wanted militants, a senior security official told Anadolu on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Forces also recovered a large cache of weapons and ammunition from the militants, he added.

Earlier this month, Pakistani forces claimed to have killed 30 militants attempting to infiltrate North Waziristan from Afghanistan.

Separately, militants shot dead two policemen at Yadgar Chowk in the Kulachi area of the Dera Ismail Khan district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said in a statement.

"Strongly condemn the firing by Fitna-e-Hindustan terrorists on our policemen," he said, paying tribute to the officers who lost their lives.

Last month, one militant was killed and two others were injured in an attack on a police patrol near the Malang area of Dera Ismail Khan.

Islamabad accuses Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants, allegedly based in Afghanistan, of carrying out cross-border attacks, a claim Kabul denies.