LANDI KOTAL: Twenty suspected militants were killed when military planes attacked their hideouts in different areas of Bara on Thursday. Five of the hideouts were destroyed.

The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement that “precise airstrikes killed 20 terrorists and 5 terrorist hideouts were destroyed in the afternoon”.

On Wednesday the ISPR had claimed that airstrikes had killed 21 terrorists affiliated with the proscribed Lashkar-i-Islam (LI) in Spin Qabar area of Sipah, the hometown of LI chief Mangal Bagh.

According to sources, planes bombed LI positions in Nala-Malikdin Khel, Shalobar and Akkakhel areas.

An LI base set up at the Haji Rasul Jan school in Merikhel-Madakhel locality of Akkakhel was the main target.

Two other LI bases in schools in Sultan Khel area of Malakhel and two hideouts in Krrhapa and Gud Malang localities were also attacked.

Security forces intensified attacks on militants’ positions after they lost eight soldiers in clashes with LI activists in Spin Qabar on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for LI has claimed his group had injured 30 soldiers and destroyed two tanks in Spin Qabar.

In a text massage to journalists, he said only one of their activists was killed in Thursday’s airstrikes.

Claims made by both security forces and the LI spokesperson could not be independently verified.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2014