At least 23 Taliban and two soldiers were killed, while 20 militants and seven soldiers were injured on Wednesday after clashes broke out in different areas of South Waziristan.

Sources said that the Taliban attacked a checkpost in Tiarza, 3km off Wana on Tuesday night. The security forces countered the attack, killing 11 Taliban and injuring 20 others.

Fierce fighting continued throughout Wednesday. The political administration clamped a curfew on Wana and made announcements from mosques asking people to stay indoors.

The sources said that two soldiers were killed and seven others were injured when the Taliban attacked three army vehicles near Wana bazaar in the evening. Fighting was intensified in different areas after the attack on army convoy. The sources said another 12 Taliban were killed in clashes.

A woman and a man were killed after a mortar shell hit their house, the sources said.

Militant commander Maulvi Nazir has denied that the Taliban were involved in the attack on the Tiarza checkpost. He suspected that Meshud tribesmen might be involved in the attack as the checkpost was on the border between the areas of Wazir and Mehsud tribes.

Ahmadullah Ahmadi, a spokesman for the militant group of Hafiz Gul Bahadar and Maulvi Nazir, said that the Taliban had declared unilateral ceasefire till Aug 30 in the tribal area. He said that they would not violate the truce without provocation.

Meanwhile, fresh tension gripped the Swat Valley after militants blew up four private transport offices at the Matta general bus stand and security forces, backed by helicopter gunships and artillery, shelled suspected militant hideouts on Wednesday.

The transport offices which run and regulate Karachi-bound coaches were blown up on Tuesday night. However, no casualty was reported because the transporters had vacated the offices several days ago.

The explosions caused by devices planted by militants destroyed the offices.

The security forces pounded suspected militant positions with mortar and shells in upper areas of Kabal, Barikot, Matta and Charbagh tehsils from the Frontier House of Kabal and the FC camp in Kanju early on Wednesday. Several houses were damaged when some shells fell in residential areas. However, there was no report of any casualty.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people were continued to leave their homes and moving to safe places in the district and other areas of the province.

End.

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