RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: At least 17 militants including some foreigners were killed in precise air strikes conducted by the Pakistani military in the restive North Waziristan tribal region on Tuesday morning.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that hideouts of the militants were targeted in the strikes.
The sources said that air strikes were carried out in Datakhel area of North Waziristan agency.
The air strikes were latest in Zarb-e-Azb, a full-fledged military operation being conducted in the country’s volatile northwestern tribal region by the Pakistan’s army against various outlawed militant groups including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Jundallah, al-Qaeda, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and the Haqqani network.
The operation was launched on June 15 in North Waziristan as a renewed effort against militancy in the wake of the June 8 attack on Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, for which the TTP and the IMU claimed responsibility.
The military said that more than 1,200 militants including foreigners and important commanders have been killed so far while over 360 injured during the operation Zarb-e-Azb.
On November 16, the Commander of the Operation Major General Zafar Ullah Khan said at a media briefing in Mir Ali that the Pakistan’s army has cleared 90 percent of North Waziristan agency of militants during the ongoing operation.
