11 soldiers killed in clashes with TTP militants in Pakistan

Peshawar, Oct 8; At least 11 military personnel, including a Lt Colonel and a Major, were killed in clashes with the Taliban militants during an intelligence-based operation in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan, the army said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) - the media wing of the military - said that 19 terrorists of the ‘Fitna al-Khawarij’ were also killed during the operation in Orakzai district on Tuesday night.

The Pakistan government last year notified the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as ‘Fitna al-Khawarij’, a reference to a group in earlier Islamic history which was involved in violence.