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.
