[The News (Pak) Top Stories] Four soldiers and 39 militants were killed while nine soldiers sustained injuries in clashes between security forces and militants in lower parts of Orakzai Agency on Sunday night, tribal and official sources said.The sources said the militants attacked security forces checkpost in Shireen Darra in the lower parts of Orakzai Agency, killing four soldiers. The slain soldiers were identified as Hawaldar Zamin Khan, Naik Sajid, Lance Naik Rustam and Lance Naik Muhammad Saeed, while the injured included Hawaldar Ali Akbar, Lance Naik Hameed Hussain, Lance Naik Jehanzeb, Lance Naik Ehtesham, Lance Naik Kifayatullah, Naik Sher Muhammad, Sepoy Saeed Rehman, Sepoy Hamadullah and Sepoy Muhammad Gul.
Security forces hit back at the militants with artillery fire and killed the brother of Naib Amir of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Ziaur Rehman alias Zewar Mulla and another commander Saifur alias Saifullah of Orakzai Agency.
The sources said the gunship helicopters also pounded the hideouts of militants in Sangara, Gohain, Akakhel and Bizot areas soon after the incident and killed 37 militants, besides destroying their seven hideouts.
AP adds from Islamabad: The United Nations says more than 200,000 people have fled military offensive against Taliban militants in Orakzai tribal region. The UN said on Monday that almost 210,000 have fled Orakzai since the fighting first started at the end of last year. Nearly 50,000 people have fled in the last month alone.