19 Militants, Three Soldiers Die in Pakistan Clashes

At least 19 militants and three soldiers were killed in gunfights in a restive Pakistani tribal region where troops have now gained control of strategic heights, the military said Friday.

The clashes took place in an area between the tribal districts of Kurram and Khyber, in Para Chamkani and Maidan villages, during an operation against Taliban militants.

"During exchange of fire 19 terrorists were killed while 12 got injured. Three Soldiers including an officer also embraced shahadat (martyrdom) and three were injured," the military said in a statement.

The dominating heights of the mountainous area had also been cleared or occupied by forces, the statement said.

The death toll could not be verified by independent sources as the area is out of bounds for media due to ongoing military operations.

The fighting took place in the wake of a fresh military push in the Tirah valley in Khyber tribal district, where the military has been targeting Taliban and Lashkar-e-Islam militia threatening the nearby city of Peshawar.

Khyber straddles the NATO supply line into Afghanistan, used by U.S.-led troops to evacuate military equipment ahead of their 2014 withdrawal.

Pakistani troops have been fighting for years against homegrown insurgents in the tribal belt, which Washington considers the main hub of Taliban and al-Qaida militants plotting attacks on the West and in Afghanistan.