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Pakistan: Security forces arrest 18 militants in operation Wed. July 02, 2008 03:51 am.- By Bonny Apunyu. - (SomaliNet) As part of an operation in the troubled Khyber tribal region that entered its fifth day on Wednesday, Pakistani security forces destroyed two major militant sites and arrested 18 resisting insurgents, the Interior Ministry said. The ministry said 46 alleged criminals were detained in separate raids in Peshawar, a major northwest city whose safety was one reason the government launched the military operation. The militants were captured on Tuesday at the home of hard-line cleric Mufti Munir Shakir. They skirmished with paramilitary forces, who destroyed Shakir's home. Also destroyed was the residence of a rival cleric, Pir Saifur Rehman, according to a ministry statement issued late on Tuesday. Supporters of the two clerics have clashed in recent years, adding to the volatility in the semi-autonomous tribal regions, which are considered havens for Taliban and Al Qaida fighters who sage cross-border attacks in neighboring Afghanistan. Pakistan launched the offensive over the weekend after militant activity in the tribal areas began to threaten Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province, as well as a key supply line for US and Nato forces in Afghanistan. Overall, the paramilitary forces have encountered relatively little resistance. In a separate statement, the ministry and local political administrators said recent police raids led to arrests of 46 alleged criminals in Peshawar. Arms and drugs also were recovered. The government said the "basic purpose of restoring normalcy and law and order has been achieved with minimum damage and without collateral losses." So far during the military operation in Khyber, authorities say forces have destroyed several militant centers, including a radio station, and recovered some men kidnapped by militants and criminals for ransom.-AP News Category: World Latest Headlines Latest News Somalia: 5 killed in fighting in Mogadishu Somalia: 6 more months approved for U.N. Somalia pe... Somalia: Clashes claim dozens in south Somalia West Africa: Floods displace over 150 000 people Chad: President Deby’s forces, rebels clash <... Egypt border killings 'unacceptable'- Amnesty Intern... Sudan: Genocide claims nonexistent-president al... Zambia mourns death of president Mwanawasa Egyptian police shoots dead Sudanese man ... U.S: Thousands of Iraqi refugees arrive in U.S More News...