Seven members of same family killed in Swat: official

Seven members of one family were killed when two shells destroyed their house during a battle between army troops and militants in the troubled Swat region, an official said on Saturday.

It was not clear if the shells that caused the civilian casualties overnight on Friday were fired by the army or the rebels in Kabal district.

“The dead included three girls, their parents, grandfather and an uncle,” a local official said.

The military launched a major offensive in the Swat valley in November, looking to drive out followers of Maulana Fazlullah, a cleric who has been looking to establish Sharia law in the region.