ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Pakistani forces raided a private hospital in volatile South Waziristan on Thursday, killing four and arresting more than two dozen suspected militants.

The Pakistani military in October launched major operations in the volatile tribal belt along the border with Afghanistan in an effort to control a spiraling Taliban insurgency. The military said it killed more than 600 militants during those operations, though insurgents responded with frequent high-profile attacks across the country.


Pakistani security teams raided the private Hafiz Hospital in South Waziristan in the early morning hours Thursday, Pakistan's Dawn newspaper reports.

Intelligence officials said they were acting on a tip suggesting wounded Taliban fighters were brought to the hospital following skirmishes with the Pakistani military.

The gun battle that followed the raid lasted more than four hours, officials said. Four foreign militants, including a Sudanese and Bangladeshi national, were among the dead. As many as 27 others were arrested during the operation.

One Pakistani soldier was wounded during the attacks.