At least 25 militants were killed and 40 others detained Monday in the ongoing military operation in Machni, a town in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP), according to local press reports.

The private Geo TV quoted Inspector General of Police of Peshawar Malik Naveed Khan as saying that security forces, after flushing the militants out of 21 villages, took control of the vacated Machni. He gave a briefing to a group of journalists brought to the area after an intensive operation.

He said that 21 villages were cleared from the militants, while in four more villages, the writ of the government would be established soon. He called upon the people to extend their full cooperation in flushing the extremists out of these areas.

The journalists on the occasion were shown the arms and ammunition seized from militants' possession during the operation. The seized weapons include rocket launchers, mortar ammunition, explosive material and suicide jackets.

(Xinhua News Agency November 24, 2008)