Taliban killed 18 of its wounded men in Swat

At least 18 wounded Taliban militants were slaughtered by their own men after the terrorists failed to evacuate them during fierce fighting in Pakistan's tribal belt, the military has said.

The military yesterday said it had "reliably learnt that during the clearance of Biha valley (in Swat), 18 wounded terrorists, who could not have been taken to safety, were slaughtered by their own people on the orders of their commanders".

Meanwhile, the Army said it is winding down the operations against the Taliban in Swat and other areas of Malakand division in the North West Frontier Province.

It claimed that nearly 1,600 militants have been killed in the operations, however the figure cannot be independently confirmed as journalists are barred from reporting from the conflict zone.

The Pakistani forces have been battling the Talibani fighters since April 26 when the militants occupied Buner district, which is just 100 km from Islamabad, even after the controversial peace deal with the government.

The military operations have displaced 3.8 million civilians from the three districts of NWFP.