At least 24 killed in Pakistan clashes
A Pakistani solider stands guard overlooking the Khyber Pass on the Pakistani border with Afghanistan.
Extremist groups clashed in Pakistan's militant-heavy northwest, killing at least 24 people and injuring dozens, according to the Associated Press.
The violence reportedly broke out Friday in Tirah's Maiden area and continued into today, with the powerful Tehrik-e-Taliban group locked in battle with a pro-government Islamic group known as Ansarul Islam, Reuters said, citing group members.
An Ansarul Islam official told Reuters that three villagers, among them an elderly female, were killed in the clashes.
A Pakistani military source told AP some locals were killed but the majority of the dead were militants.
The clashes come as Pakistan is in the midst of a campaign to oust the insurgents from the restive northwest tribal area bordering Afghanistan.