Troops kill up to 35 militants in NW Pakistan: military

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2008

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) — Pakistani troops killed up to 35 Taliban militants Saturday in a major army offensive in the restive northwest, while at least 12 people were killed in separate attacks, officials said.

The violence came as Pakistan's political future remained up in the air, with an election set for September 6 to choose a successor to Pervez Musharraf, who resigned as president Monday amid a prolonged struggle with the militants.

Troops backed by helicopter gunships and heavy artillery pounded militant hideouts in the scenic Swat valley, a former tourist hotspot that erupted in violence last year when a pro-Taliban cleric declared jihad on Islamabad.

"Up to 35 militants have been killed and scores were injured when security forces launched a...