Lashkar-i-Islam spokesperson killed in Khyber blitz

Published March 25, 2015
Spokesman of the banned LI organisation, Salahuddin Ayubi, among those killed in today's air strikes.— AFP/file
Spokesman of the banned LI organisation, Salahuddin Ayubi, among those killed in today's air strikes.— AFP/file

PESHAWAR: At least 30 suspected militants were killed in airstrikes conducted by Pakistan military jets on Wednesday in Tirah Valley of Khyber tribal region, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The statement added that two ammunition depots were also destroyed in the strikes.

Local sources say that a spokesman of the banned Lashkar-i-Islam (LI) militant organisation, Salahuddin Ayubi, was among those killed in today's air blitz.

At least eight suspected militants were killed in a separate military operation in Orakzai tribal region, according to security sources.

Security forces targeted the militants after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in Sabak area of Orakzai tribal. One security person also lost his life during the operation.

The details could not be independently verified as the access of media personnel is severely restricted in the region.

The latest development comes a day after Shakir Sipah, a driver of the LI chief Mangal Bagh, was killed in the drone attack on Tuesday along with eight others in Nazyan district of Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, near the Pak-Afghan border in Khyber Agency.

Khyber and Orakzai are two of Pakistan’s seven semi-autonomous regions governed by tribal laws and lie near the porous Afghan border.

Militant hideouts have been frequently pounded by Pakistan's security forces in Tirah Valley area of Khyber region.

The strikes are part of Operation 'Khyber One' and 'Khyber Two', launched by security forces and aimed at targeting militants in Khyber Agency, particularly the Tirah Valley of Bara which borders Nazyan province of Afghanistan.

The operations in Khyber tribal region were launched amid operation Zarb-i-Azb being conducted by the Pakistan Army in North Waziristan tribal region.

Opinion

Editorial

X post facto
19 Apr, 2024

X post facto

AS has become its modus operandi, the state is using smoke and mirrors to try to justify its decision to ban X,...
Insufficient inquiry
19 Apr, 2024

Insufficient inquiry

UNLESS the state is honest about the mistakes its functionaries have made, we will be doomed to repeat our follies....
Melting glaciers
19 Apr, 2024

Melting glaciers

AFTER several rain-related deaths in KP in recent days, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority has sprung into...
IMF’s projections
Updated 18 Apr, 2024

IMF’s projections

The problems are well-known and the country is aware of what is needed to stabilise the economy; the challenge is follow-through and implementation.
Hepatitis crisis
18 Apr, 2024

Hepatitis crisis

THE sheer scale of the crisis is staggering. A new WHO report flags Pakistan as the country with the highest number...
Never-ending suffering
18 Apr, 2024

Never-ending suffering

OVER the weekend, the world witnessed an intense spectacle when Iran launched its drone-and-missile barrage against...