30 Pakistani soldiers killed in northwest valley

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani military officials say 30 soldiers and nearly 100 militants have been killed in four days of fierce fighting in a remote valley in the northwest.

The officials said Monday that the army has managed to wrestle control of a large part of the Tirah Valley away from the Pakistani Taliban and their allies.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

The army launched a ground offensive in the Tirah Valley on Friday. The valley is located in Khyber, part of Pakistan’s semiautonomous tribal region. The tribal region is the main sanctuary for the Taliban in the country.

Rival militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban, have been fighting for supremacy in the valley in recent weeks, forcing thousands of civilians to flee the rugged, mountainous area.