- MINGORA: A man detonated explosives as army troops prepared to storm his hideout in northwest Pakistan on Saturday, killing himself and wounding at least three soldiers, n army official said.
The blast occurred outside the town of Bhat Khela in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa province after troops acting on a tip from residents surrounded a militant hideout and told those inside to surrender, Brig. Saeed Ullah said. Soldiers killed a second militant in the shootout that followed the explosion.
Ullah said security forces detained five men from the area on suspicion of sheltering the militants, who he said were planning a suicide attack in the Swat Valley. Bhat Khela is located about 50 km west of Mingora, the main town in Swat.
The Pakistani Army launched a major anti-Taleban offensive in 2009 in Swat, a one-time tourist haven largely overrun by militants beginning in 2007.
Though the monthslong offensive was hailed a success, militant activity is still reported in the picturesque region and concerns are growing that the insurgents could rise again.