LADDAH, Oct 18 Security forces claimed on Sunday to have made steady gains in their assaults on militants' strongholds in South Waziristan and army officials said they were surprised by low level of resistance.

“The area has been heavily mined. There are a lot of improvised explosive devices and mines. But the level of resistance from the militants is not very high,” one of them said.

A military spokesman said five security personnel were killed and 11 wounded during 24 hours of operation Rah-i-Nijat. He put the Taliban's fatalities at 60.

He said that troops and planes had knocked out six 12.7mm anti-aircraft guns in different areas to eliminate militants' capability to attack helicopters.

“At one place, they abandoned their position and fled,” Maj-Gen Athar Abbas said.

A spokesman of the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan acknowledged that the army had launched a multi-pronged attack.

Azam Tariq admitted that the military had occupied Kanda and Kalkali, but claimed that security personnel had been pushed back from their positions.

He claimed that missiles fired by militants into a guest-house in Shakai owned by late senator Faridullah had killed eight soldiers and wounded many others.

Clashes took place in Sharwangi Nari, Spinkay Raghzai, Makin, Nawazkot and Khaisaro.

Troops moving from the east, who had occupied Spinkay Raghzai, advanced by a kilometre and reached Mandana. They are now poised to enter the strategic Kotkai valley.

Troops are also believed to have launched attacks from the north to enter Makin.

From the southern fringes of the region, security personnel advanced from Wana-Shakai and Tiarza towards Kanigoram, Badar and Laddah, the regional headquarters of the Mehsud part of South Waziristan, and reached Sharwangai.

Heavy fighting was reported in Sharwangai Narai, some eight kilometres from Shakai valley.

Local authorities put the casualties suffered by security forces at eight dead and 12 wounded.

According to sources, 19 militants were killed in clashes and bombing.

The Taliban spokesman claimed that militants' supporters from religious organisations and madressahs in Punjab, Sindh and the NWFP were in touch with them and were reaching the battle zone through different routes.

He accepted the responsibility for recent attacks in Lahore and Peshawar.

It is leant that Afghan Taliban commander Mullah Sangeen had brought 1,500 fighters to support the TTP flanks in South Waziristan.

Meanwhile, an anti-Baitullah militant group has offered support for security forces against the TTP.

“We are with the security forces and, if called, we would fight alongside them against (former TTP chief) Baitullah's men,” a spokesman for the Misbahuddin group said. He said a formal announcement in this regard was expected soon.

Alamgir Bhittani contributed to this report from Tank.