Islamabad - At least 13 Islamic militants were killed in clashes with government troops in north-west Pakistan, security officials said Tuesday.

Five insurgents, including their commander, were killed in a gunfight that broke out late Monday when the militants opened fire on security forces during a search operation in the Matta area of the restive Swat district, said Colonel Nadeem Ahmad, an army spokesman in the area.

The troops also destroyed a militant ammunition dump in the fighting that also left several rebels injured, he said.

Two more militants were killed in the Kabal subdistrict in clashes with troops.

The Swat Valley was a popular tourist destination until late last year when radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah launched an armed struggle to enforce Taliban-style Islamic rule in the region.

Hundreds of people, including dozens of security personnel and civilians, have died in the yearlong conflict.

In a separate incident, Pakistani soldiers targeted several militant hideouts in the Bajaur tribal district, which is considered a safe haven for Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters launching cross-border attacks on US forces in the Afghan province of Kunar.

"The artillery fire that started on Monday night and continued until early Tuesday killed at least six insurgents," said a security official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Ten of their compounds, including underground bunkers, were also destroyed, he added. (dpa)