A file photo of PAF F16. PHOTO: PPI
The air blitz came after a brief lull in fighting in Tirah Valley, where militants from Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI) extremist group and their affiliates were holed up before the military launched an operation in mid-October, 2014.
“The [latest] security forces’ action against militants was carried out in [the] Raajgan area of Tirah,” the military’s media wing, ISPR, said in a statement. It did not give details, but security officials said three hideouts of militants were decimated in the bombardment.
They claimed that the slain militants belonged to the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Independent confirmation of the official claims is not possible since the area is off-limits for media persons.
Tirah Valley shares borders with Orakzai and Kurram agencies and the Afghan province of Nangarhar. Its strategic location offers safe transit to militants to and from Afghanistan. It had become a sanctuary for LeI and TTP militants before the military decided to move against them.
In October, the military mounted a big assault after intelligence reports indicated that militants fleeing Operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan Agency had found a sanctuary in Tirah. After weeks of ground operation and air strikes the militants were routed. However, sporadic intelligence-based air strikes continue against militants in the valley.
Tens of thousands of tribesmen had been evacuated from the operation area before the military action started. These tribesmen, officially designated as temporarily displaced persons, have been housed in shelter camps set up in Peshawar and adjacent areas.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 8th, 2015.
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