Helicopter gunships and ground troops have been pounding militant hideouts in Buner and neighbouring Lower Dir district in a nearly week-long assault against Taliban insurgents who have infiltrated the volatile area.
The army had previously put the death toll in Buner at 55 to 60, and said that altogether more than 200 militants have been killed in both districts since Operation Black Thunder began.
"In the Buner operation so far, 80 militants have been killed while three soldiers embraced shahadat (martyrdom) and eight others were injured," the military said in a written statement.
"Reportedly militant commander Khalil has been killed in the Buner operation. His real name is Alam Buneri and he was a mainstream leader of the banned organisation TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan)," it added.
TTP is Pakistan´s umbrella Taliban organisation and is led by Baitullah Mehsud, who was accused by the former government of masterminding the 2007 assassination of ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
The army previously put its own toll at about a dozen soldiers dead in the twin assaults.
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