Militants die in Pakistan clash

Militants in Swat want detained comrades freed

At least two militants have been killed by security forces in Swat district in north-west Pakistan, officials say.

The clash is the first since the militants signed a peace deal with the government of North West Frontier Province (NWFP) in May.

Elsewhere, a security operation in South Waziristan tribal region has been halted after elders intervened in a clash between two militant groups.

At least 10 people were killed during battles that erupted there on Monday.

'Misunderstanding'

The clash in Swat broke out when a security patrol came under fire from suspected militants, a military spokesman in Swat, Col Nadeem, told the BBC.

A spokesman for the militants, Muslim Khan, said they fired in self defence when troops raided their positions in the hills.

He confirmed that two members of his group had been killed and two others injured in the two-hour gun battle that followed.

Last week Swat militants put further negotiations with the government on hold, accusing the authorities of being reluctant to release militants being held on criminal charges.

But both sides say the peace agreement still holds.

Bashir Bilour, an NWFP minister, told reporters the clash was the result of a "misunderstanding".

He said the arrested militants would be released soon.

Hostages

Meanwhile in South Waziristan, troops have been asked to put on hold an operation to evict militants loyal to a local commander, Baitullah Mehsud, from the town of Jandola, sources in the local administration say.

The militants overran Jandola, located in the south-eastern tip of the region, on Monday following clashes with a group considered friendly towards the government.

Jandola is an important garrison town in the area, where the Taleban have a strong presence.

"We have confirmation of 10 deaths in the clashes so far," a top Jandola administration official, Barkatullah, told the BBC.

He said Baitullah Mehsud's fighters had also kidnapped 15 men from the pro-government group, led by a local commander, Turkistan Bhittani.

"We have constituted a joint jirga [tribal council] of the Mehsud and Bhittani tribes to negotiate the release of hostages," he said.

The two groups agreed to a ceasefire this morning, officials said.

They said the main road linking the district to the rest of the country had been closed to traffic by the security forces.