PESHAWAR: At least five suspected militants were killed and over 10 others were injured on Friday as militant hideouts were targeted in the Akakhel and Sipah areas of Khyber Agency's Bara tehsil.

Official sources said that artillery and mortars were fired in the areas of Sipah and Akakhel.

Sipah is a known stronghold of Lashkar-i-Islam while Akakhel too has a sizeable presence of militant elements.

Khyber is one of Pakistan’s seven semi-autonomous regions governed by tribal laws and lies near the Afghan border. The Taliban and other Al Qaeda-linked groups who stage attacks in both Pakistan and Afghanistan are also known to have strongholds in the zone.

Pakistan's military launched the operation ‘Khyber-1’ last month with air strikes against LI hideouts in areas under the Mangal Bagh-led group’s control in Tirah and Bara.

The latest operation was launched amidst Zarb-i-Azb, a full-fledged military operation being conducted by the army against Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militants in the North Waziristan tribal region.