Islamabad: A suicide bomber blew himself up outside an airport in northwest Pakistan, while troops killed another 35 followers of a pro-Taiban cleric during an offesive, officials said today.

The violence happened late yesterday as an army operation to drive Islamist insurgets from their strongholds in the Swat Valley, a mountainous former tourist region entered its second week.

"We have reports that around 35 militants were killed in the operation on Wednesday," chief militay spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told AFP.

The death toll since the start of last week in Swat, where loyalists of hardline cleric Maulana Fazlullah are demanding Islamic Sharia law, is now more than 220, according to army figures.

Officials said the suicide bomber was killed when he blew up his explosives-laden car at the gate of the valley's main airport in the town of Saidu Sharif, scene of some of the fiercest fightng.

"A Suzuki car was signalled to stop. On disobeying the order secrity forces opened fire at the tires of the vehicle, following which the driver blew himelf up," local official Amjad Iqbal was quoted as saying by state media. No troops were injured in the blast, he added.

Militant leader Fazlullah's spokesman, Maulana Sirajuddin, confirmed it was a suicide attack but disputed the official account.

"The attacker failed to reach his target because of a technical problem in his vehicle," he said by telephone.

Separately, an army statement said the latest militat deaths came after troops identified hilltop rebel hideouts in troubled Shangla district and pounded them with small arms, artillery and mortar fire.

Source : PTI