Kurram operation: 10 militants killed, 8 injured

Sources say security forces have reclaimed Sangora and Mantaloo areas.

PESHAWAR: Ten militants were killed and eight injured during an operation conducted by security forces in Kurram Agency, Express 24/7 reported on Wednesday.

Officials said militant hideouts were targeted in different areas of central Kurram Agency.

Security forces have also reclaimed the Sangora and Mantaloo areas in Central Kurram Agency.

Pakistan army has launched an air and ground offensive in Kurram region on the Afghan border, a tribal region that had become increasingly used as a refuge for al Qaeda-linked militants.

This is the first major military operation since the May 2 killing of Osama bin Laden.

The offensive is aimed at reopening the road to Parachinar, a Shia majority town on the Afghan border that had been virtually cut off from the rest of Pakistan for years and was facing increasing attacks from Sunni militants.

Around 4,000 families, with an average seven members each, have left the area since the operation began. More than 450 families were seeking shelter in camps or school buildings in the area while a majority of displaced people had gone to their relatives living in different places.