PESHAWAR: At least 25 suspected militants were killed early on Tuesday as F-16 jets bombed militant hideouts in the Tirah valley along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, military sources said.

Military jets targeted nine suspected insurgent hideouts in various parts of the Kokikhel area in Tirah valley of the Khyber tribal region, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed.

Pakistani fighter jets have been pounding targets in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) for the past couple of weeks.

The air strikes are the latest in a succession of such attacks carried out by the Pakistani military in the tribal belt this year.

The last were carried out in North Waziristan in late May, killing at least 75 people and causing some 58,000 people to flee from the district in fear of a fuller ground offensive that has been anticipated for years.

The Khyber district itself was targeted previously in April in aerial bombing that killed 37 people.

The district is believed to be home to several militant factions, most notably Lashkar-i-Islam, led by warlord Mangal Bagh, as well foreign fighters from Central Asia.

Opinion

Editorial

Under siege
Updated 03 May, 2024

Under siege

Whether through direct censorship, withholding advertising, harassment or violence, the press in Pakistan navigates a hazardous terrain.
Meddlesome ways
03 May, 2024

Meddlesome ways

AFTER this week’s proceedings in the so-called ‘meddling case’, it appears that the majority of judges...
Mass transit mess
03 May, 2024

Mass transit mess

THAT Karachi — one of the world’s largest megacities — does not have a mass transit system worth the name is ...
Punishing evaders
02 May, 2024

Punishing evaders

THE FBR’s decision to block mobile phone connections of more than half a million individuals who did not file...
Engaging Riyadh
Updated 02 May, 2024

Engaging Riyadh

It must be stressed that to pull in maximum foreign investment, a climate of domestic political stability is crucial.
Freedom to question
02 May, 2024

Freedom to question

WITH frequently suspended freedoms, increasing violence and few to speak out for the oppressed, it is unlikely that...