According to the statement, the suspects were killed during an intelligence-based operation conducted by paramilitary force in remote Dera Ghazi Khan district of Punjab province.

The killed belonged to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a conglomerate of different militant groups operating in Pakistan, it said.

Three paramilitary troops were also killed, while two others sustained injuries in the fight, the statement added.

Last week, 15 suspected militants were killed in Dera Ghazi Khan and Lahore - the capital of Punjab province -- in separate clashes with security forces.

Following a fresh spate of terrorism that has killed over 130 people in last two months, Pakistan's army, along with other law enforcement agencies, launched a nationwide counter-terrorism operation.