Pakistani officials say security forces have raided an army building in northwestern Pakistan and freed two guards held hostage by militant prisoners who overpowered them.
Officials say there were no fatalities during the operation and that the militants surrendered.
They say the incident began when about three or four prisoners overpowered their guards early Saturday in a military intelligence office in Peshawar, capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Pakistani troops sealed off the area and exchanged fire with the militants, bringing parts of the city to a standstill. The standoff lasted for several hours.
The shootout occurred just hours after a suspected U.S. drone strike killed at least four Taliban militants in another part of northwestern Pakistan. Pakistani security officials said that several U.S. missiles hit two vehicles carrying the militants in the tribal region of Kurram, bordering Afghanistan.
U.S. forces have been waging a drone war against al-Qaida and Taliban militants based in northwestern Pakistan who launch attacks on NATO troops in neighboring Afghanistan. U.S. drones have mostly targeted the Pakistani tribal regions of North and South Waziristan.
The drone attacks have killed senior militants but also have fueled anti-American sentiment in Pakistan.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
