Pakistan's army says security forces killed a top Taliban commander and
five other militants in the northwestern Swat Valley Wednesday.
The
military says Nisar Ahmed, also known as Ghazi Baba, was a close aide
of fugitive Swat Taliban chief Maulana Fazlullah and an expert bomb
maker.
He also was one of 15 Swat militants for whom the
government was offering a $120,000 (10 million rupee) reward. Security
forces also arrested his son.
A military statement says troops in Swat also apprehended 16 suspected terrorists during operations Wednesday.
Meanwhile,
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari is renewing Pakistan's commitment
to fighting militants, following Tuesday's deadly suicide attack on the
Islamabad offices of the United Nations World Food Program.
The
program's executive director, Josette Sheeran, told a press conference
in Islamabad Wednesday that the U.N. aid group will resume its
operations in Pakistan and will not be deterred by such attacks.
On
Tuesday a Taliban suicide bomber disguised as a soldier detonated a
blast inside the World Food Program's Islamabad office, killing five
aid workers.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
