Pakistan trounces militants.

Pakistani military commander says militants have been defeated in an strategically important tribal area near the Afghan border.

Tribal elders in Pakistan near the Afghan border present sheep to security officials as a welcome gift.

This follows the Pakistan military defeating militants in the strategically important area which is used as a sanctuary for al Qaeda and the Taliban.

The damage to the area is obvious.

But after the successful push, Pakistani forces are expected to clear militants out of other areas by end of the year.

Major General Tariq Khan said his paramilitary Frontier Corps had driven militants out of a major infiltration route in Afghanistan after a six month offensive.

SOUNDBITE: Major-General Tariq Khan, Commander of Military Operations saying: (English)

"They have lost. They have lost their cohesion here."

Khan's strategy appears different to the governments in the neighbouring Swat valley, where authorities struck a deal with Islamists, agreeing to enforce Islamic sharia law.

Western countries have expressed concerns over Pakistan's policy of making deals with the militants, fearing the strategy provides breathing space for militants to regroup and intensify their insurgency against Western forces in Afghanistan.

Penny Tweedie, Reuters.