Eight troops, 22 militants dead in Tirah valley

PESHAWAR: At least eight soldiers and 22 militants were killed early on Friday in a gunfight in a restive northwestern tribal area, officials said.

The clash took place in Tirah valley of lawless Khyber tribal district bordering Afghanistan. "At least eight soldiers embraced martyrdom and 22 militants were killed," Khyber administrator Mutahir Zeb Khan told AFP.

Military officials in Peshawar confirmed the attack and casualties.

Some 18,000 people already fled their homes in Khyber in October last year amid fears of a fresh fighting.

Pakistan's seven tribal districts near the Afghan border are rife with insurgents.