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Pakistani forces backed by military helicopters clashed with the Taliban in North Waziristan on Wednesday, officials and witnesses said. The unexpected clashes come just a day after three Pakistani troops were killed in a bomb blast and though security officials confirmed forces were in action, this wasn’t the beginning of a major operation, long demanded by the US. Officials said forces were dynamiting a hospital where militants were being treated. According to media reports, several blasts were heard and militants were seen firing on army checkpoints with rocket launchers and automatic weapons in Miranshah, around 300 kilometers southwest of Islamabad.