Islamabad: At least 23 suspected militants were killed today when Pakistani fighter jets targeted their hideouts in Shawal area of North Waziristan Agency. According to an army statement, 23 suspected terrorists were killed when jets targeted the militants' hideouts.
“Four militant hideouts were also destroyed through effective and precise aerial strikes,” it said.
On December 27, the Pakistani armed forces killed 55 militants in the northwest region of the country. “Troops raided a militant hideout on Friday in an area adjoining Orakzai and Khyber tribal districts - near the Afghan border - where the insurgents had gathered for a meeting. An intense battle took place, in which 16 terrorists were killed and 20 injured.
“Fleeing terrorists left behind nine dead bodies of their accomplices. Separately, 39 militants, including two rebel commanders, were killed in airstrikes in the northwest and an ammunition depot was also destroyed,” the statement said.
The army intensified its offensive after the Peshawar school massacre in which the Taliban militants killed 150 people mostly children during an attack on an army-run school.
The army has killed more than 1,700 militants so far in its heavy offensive in the tribal zone, with 126 soldiers having lost their lives since it launched offensive against the Taliban in June this year.