Separately, one soldier and 16 militants were killed in fighting between security forces and Taliban in Swat and Dir districts in the neighbouring North-West Frontier Province.

An army statement said the security forces conducted a search operation at Charbagh and killed four terrorists, including two 'terrorist commanders.'

Soldiers and militants exchanged fire on Jholagram-Kalangi road in Swat, which left eight terrorists dead, the army said.

Three more militants and one soldier died in fighting elsewhere in Swat, while one Islamist insurgent was killed in fighting in Dir district.

Thousands of military and paramilitary troops launched operations in Swat in late April to expel rebels from the region after they violated a peace agreement and moved closer to the capital, Islamabad.

So far over 2,000 militants and 200 soldiers have been killed in the clashes.

The army declared victory in the Swat conflict in July but violence continues, resulting in the deaths of militants and soldiers on an almost daily basis.