LANDI KOTAL: At least nine suspected militants were killed and five injured in air strikes in Tirah valley of Khyber Agency on Monday.

According to security officials, the attacks carried out by Pakistan Air Force planes targeted hideouts of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) in Rajgal and Kukikhel areas. They claimed that the ‘precise’ strikes were carried out on the basis of information about the presence of TTP and LI activists in the region.

The casualty claims could not be independently verified as media has no access to the areas.

Our correspondent adds from Wana: At least one soldier was killed and four others were injured by an imp­rovised explosive device near a village in South Waziristan Agency on Monday.

Officials said the roadside blast had hit a military vehicle carrying the personnel from the agency’s headquarters of Wana to Tank in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The wounded soldiers were taken to a military hospital in the area. Security forces carried out a search for suspects, but no arrest was made till late night.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2016