Security forces on Thursday targeted militant positions in the Swat valley in north-western Pakistan, killing seven militants after a unilateral ceasefire called by the insurgents collapsed on on Wednesday.
The clashes between troops and followers of pro-Taliban cleric Maulana Fazlullah have left over 100 people dead since last week.
Fighting resumed in the region after a unilateral ceasefire called by the militants collapsed on Wednesday.
Seven militants were killed on Thursday in the area around Matta, the stronghold of Fazlullah, while 20 rebels died in clashes on Wednesday, officials said.
Residents said there were several explosions and heavy exchanges of gunfire in the Saidu Sharif and Charbagh areas early on Thursday morning as security forces targeted the mountain hideouts of the militants with artillery.
Clashes between security forces and militants had erupted in the scenic Swat vally on October 26 after troops backed by helicopter gunships and artillery attacked Fazlullah's sprawling madrassa on the banks of the Swat river at Imamdheri.
Sixty militants were killed in gunbattles and shelling till October 28 before they announced a temporary truce, ostensibly to allow both sides to retrieve and bury bodies.
Twenty security personnel and civilians were also killed in the fighting last week.
The troops also launched attacks on the militants in Matta late on Wednesday.
Officials said there were reports that Uzbek, Arab and Afghan nationals were operating with the militants in the Matta region.
It is now believed that the militants used the truce to regroup and consolidate their positions. They have set up check posts in Kabal, one of the main towns in the Swat valley, and forcibly taken away vehicles from automobile showrooms and police stations.
Thousands of troops were deployed in Swat last week to counter Fazlullah, known as 'Mullah Radio' for his fiery sermons calling for jihad broadcast from an illegal FM station.
Fazlullah's men are running a parallel government in nearly 60 villages in the region.
The militants retaliated to the deployment of troops with a suicide attack on a truck carrying security personnel on October 25, killing 22 people and injuring 34.
The attack prompted security forces to attack Fazlullah's seminary located on the banks of the Swat river.
The defiant militants have reiterated their demand for the imposition of Shariat or Islamic law in Swat, which is part of the North West Frontier Province, while Taliban leaders from the nearby tribal areas have vowed to come to their aid if the security forces do not halt their operations.
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