PESHAWAR: At least 27 militants were killed on Sunday, while two soldiers also died as security forces carried out aerial strikes in Akakhel and Tirah areas of the restive Khyber Agency, a military statement said.

Ten militants hideouts and an ammunition depot were also destroyed, an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement said, adding that those killed included a key militant commander and two suicide bombers.

Khyber is among Pakistan’s seven semi-autonomous tribal districts near the Afghan border, rife with homegrown insurgents and foreign militants. These are also home to religious extremist organisations including the Al Qaeda.

Pakistan's military launched the operation ‘Khyber-1’ last month with air strikes against Lashkar-i-Islam (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.