Fresh clashes between the Pakistani Taliban and a breakaway faction killed at least seven militants in the country’s restive northwest on Friday.

Fresh clashes between the Pakistani Taliban and a breakaway faction killed at least seven militants in the country's restive northwest on Friday, officials said.

The fighting erupted in the Wacha Mela area 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of Miranshah, the capital of North Waziristan tribal district.

Almost 100 militants have been killed since supporters of commander Khalid Mehsud, alias Khan Said Sajna, and the followers of the slain former Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud began fighting in April.

Khalid Mehsud's group last week split from the umbrella Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a move analysts described as a victory for the Pakistani military's strategy of sowing divisions among insurgent factions.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government began negotiations with the TTP through intermediaries in February, with a ceasefire beginning March 1 but breaking down a month later.