44 militants killed in North Waziristan, Khyber air strikes

ISPR says 16, mostly foreign militants, killed in Datta Khel; 28 militants killed in Tirah valley air raids

At least 44 suspected militants were killed on Saturday in precise aerial  strikes in North Waziristan and Khyber Agency.

According to Inter Services Public Relations, 16, mostly foreign militants, were killed in Datta Khel area of North Waziristan. While 28 militants were killed in Tirah area of Khyber agency.

On April 30, five months into the military operation in the troubled spots of the Khyber tribal region, the military claimed a ‘huge success’ after ‘intense fighting’ that left 27 terrorists dead.

Read: Operation Khyber-II: 27 militants killed in fresh Tirah fighting

The Khyber-II operation was launched in mid-October last year following reports that some militants had fled the ongoing military offensive in North Waziristan Agency to seek shelter in the strategic Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency.

The army launched an offensive Operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan against militants in June 2014.

Read: Military claims huge success in Khyber operation

Tirah Valley, which shares borders with the tribal agencies of Khurram and Orakzai and also with the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar, had become a stronghold of the banned extremist outfit Lashkar-e-Islam, led by its elusive chief Mangal Bagh Afridi. Bagh later announced the merger of his group with the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly mentioned that Operation Zarb-e-Azb started in June 2015. The error is regretted.