Islamabad - The Pakistani Army said Tuesday that at least 27 militants and one soldier were killed during the last 24 hours in the ongoing offensive against the Taliban in the restive north-western region.

The government forces launched a major operation against Islamist insurgents in Swat, located some 140 kilometres north-west of the capital Islamabad, and its neighbouring districts some six weeks ago when the militants failed to observe the terms of a peace deal.

During a search-and-destroy operation in Peochar, a side valley in Swat, where the Taliban had set up their command and control centre and training camps, the military killed 14 rebels and apprehended 22 more, the army said.

Six soldiers were also injured in the clashes with the "terrorists," an army statement said.

In the Kalpanai area, the militants killed one soldier when they raided a security check post. Three more soldiers were injured during an exchange of fire in the Uchrai Sar area.

The army operation that has so far killed more than 1,300 militants has triggered a new series of suicide attacks by the Taliban on security as well as civilian targets, including one on a mosque in Upper Dir district on Friday.

Outraged by the deaths of 49 people including a dozen children at the mosque, the villagers in Upper Dir formed a militia, known as lashkar, last week to expel Taliban from their area. Four days of fierce fighting left many rebels dead.

The military said Tuesday that the lashkar secured four villages and killed 13 militants within the last 24 hours in the Doog Darra area, while militiamen surrounded two more villages where the militants were believed to be holed up.

Government forces have started to help the local militia in their anti-Taliban campaign.

"The security forces joined the action this morning. Army helicopters pounded militants cornered by the lashkar," said the district's senior civil administrator Atif-ur-Rehman.

Two houses were destroyed in the aerial attack and some militants were believed to have died, but the numbers were not known, Rehman added.

The action by the militia is the latest example how public opinion has turned against the Taliban in Pakistan.

The US Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair said Monday the increasing public support for the offensive against the Taliban was resulting in gains for the Pakistani military.

"For the first time, the Pakistan army operations in that part of the world have support of the government and the public. This is really different from the past, when the army went up and there was little backing," Blair said in Washington.

The Pakistan Army said it has cleared most of Swat and its three neighbouring districts of Taliban fighters, although pockets of resistance still remain.

The operation has displaced nearly 2.5 million civilians. (dpa)