ISLAMABAD, Jan. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Pakistan army, backed by gunship helicopters, launched fresh operation in the country's tribal region against militants on Saturday and arrested 17 suspects, local media said.

    The troops raided a house of a tribesman in Lwara Mandi, a border town in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal area, according to a report of local news agency News Network International (NNI) here on Saturday.

    There was no official word on the fresh offensive. The report said that 10 gunship helicopters took part in the operation launched at 7 a.m. by the regular army and para-military force.

    Commandos were dropped in the area by helicopters and they raided the house of one tribesman Habib, it said.

    Unconfirmed reports of local correspondents say Habib was injured in firing.

    Troops were sent to the border areas from Miran Shah, the headquarters of North Waziristan, the report of NNI said.

    The arrested men were shifted to undisclosed location. But it was not immediately known who are the men, and if there is any known militant among them, it said.

    North Waziristan is located close to South Waziristan, where the army has been engaged against al-Qaida suspects and their local supporters.

    Pakistan's security forces have launched a series of operations against foreign militants and local miscreants last year in the country's troubled South Waziristan tribal area and have got control of there by the end of last year. Local reports said that these foreign and local militants have fled into bordering areas, including the North Waziristan tribal area.

Enditem