(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) At least 19 suspected militants and seven troops were killed in a clash in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal area on Monday.

The clash in the Taliban's new stronghold in the remote Shawal valley, near the Afghan border, was one of the most deadly in recent months and was sparked after the army launched a ground operation based on information that there had been a gathering of militants.

"When being chased and cordoned one terrorist exploded his suicide jacket, resultantly 7 soldiers embraced martyrdom," the army's media wing Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR).

Army jets have recently been focusing on militant hideouts in the Shawal valley, killing dozens of suspected militants in the past week.

North Waziristan is one of the seven semi-autonomous tribal regions in Pakistan that touch neighboring Afghanistan and has been the focus of an anti-militant operation launched by Pakistan's army on June 15.

According to the Pakistan army, over 2,600 suspected militants have been killed in aerial strikes and clashes with the Taliban during the operations.

The military operation has displaced nearly one million tribesmen from North Waziristan.