ISLAMABAD - Pakistani fighter jets on Saturday killed at least 44 militants in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan in the operation against Taliban.
In Khyber district’s Tirah valley where troops are battling Taliban, Pakistani fighters killed 28 militants in airstrikes, the military said in a statement. In North Waziristan, another Taliban stronghold, airstrikes killed 16 militants, ISPR added.
The military began its latest offensive in Khyber in October 2014, carrying out airstrikes and using artillery, mortars and ground troops.
Tirah Valley is considered a stronghold of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups. The area is remote and off-limits to journalists, making it difficult to verify the army’s claims and the number and identity of those killed.
Pakistan has been battling insurgency for over a decade, following the late 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan. Public opinion has shifted heavily against the Taliban in recent times after a series of brazen attacks on civilian targets, including Army Public School in Peshawar where more than 150 people, mostly children, were killed.
Most of the fighting is now going on in the tribal districts of NWA and Khyber. The Army has been waging a major campaign against militant strongholds in the tribal areas since June last year.