Khyber Agency: Four militants killed as jets pound TTP bunkers

BARA:

Four militants were killed and two injured when Pakistani jet fighters pounded militant hideouts in Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency on Thursday.

An official of the security forces confirmed that around 4:30pm, two fighter jets dropped bombs on the hideouts in the remote area of Koki Khel in the valley, killing the militants. He added that the area was a stronghold of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters.

“Four bunkers of the militants were also destroyed in the pounding,” the official added.

On October 18, five militants were killed and several hideouts of the Lashkar-e-Islam (LI), led by Mangal Bagh, and the TTP were destroyed when gunship helicopters and jet fighters pounded their trenches in the Akka Khel area of the valley.

Strategically an important area, Tirah Valley borders Afghanistan and also connects to Bara, which then leads to Peshawar.

The valley has been under the influence of various militant factions, including LI, TTP, and Ansarul Islam, who constantly target each other over territorial disputes and sectarian differences, while the residents of the valley have little contact with the outside world.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2012.