Fresh airstrikes kill 15 militants in Tirah valley

Pakistan Air Force carries out air strikes in various areas of the Tirah valley in the lawless Khyber tribal district

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Air Force jets on Saturday bombarded militant hideouts in a restive northwestern tribal area bordering Afghanistan killing at least 15 suspected insurgents, security officials said.

The air strikes were carried out in various areas of the Tirah valley in the lawless Khyber tribal district, where Taliban militants and local Islamist groups are active.

"At least 15 militants were killed and several injured while three hideouts were destroyed in precise aerial strikes in various areas of the Tirah valley in Khyber," a local security official told AFP in Peshawar.



The strikes were part of a major offensive to clear Taliban and al Qaeda strongholds that began last year in North Waziristan, one of seven tribal districts bordering Afghanistan.

The military began an offensive in Khyber in October 2014, carrying out air strikes and using artillery, mortars and ground troops.

Overall levels of militancy-linked violence have dropped dramatically this year, with 2015 on course for the fewest deaths among civilian and security forces since 2007 – the year the Pakistani Taliban umbrella group was formed.