Troops kill 24 Taliban rebels in Pakistan

Peshawar : At least three troopers and 24 insurgents were killed in one of the heaviest gunbattles in Mohmand in Pakistan after hundreds of militants attacked the paramilitary check points, officials said.

They said the gunfights occurred after some 150 Taliban gunmen ambushed 5 Frontier Corps (FC) checkposts at Baidnami village near the border with Afghanistan early Friday.

But the attacks were repelled by the troops in which some 24 militants felled to bullets.

But the troops lost their three soldiers before the raids from the militants were repulsed. Some twelve soldiers also received injuries in the attacks.

But the Taliban claimed they had killed 12 soldiers and captured a checkpoint, which was denied by the security officials in Pakistan.

The Pakistani military has launched offensives there in recent months, but insurgent attacks have continued on a regular basis.

Earlier this month, suicide bombs attack at a government compound Ghalanai left 43 people dead.