It is difficult to independently confirm the clash or death tolls because access to Pakistan's tribal belt is restricted. — Photo by AP

PARACHINAR: Helicopter gunships pounded a militant hideout in northwestern Pakistan’s Kurram tribal region, killing at least 20 suspected insurgents, a government official said.

Jamil Khan said the army launched the strike Thursday morning in the Chinarak area of Kurram after receiving intelligence reports about insurgents gathering there.

He said the choppers also destroyed an explosives-laden vehicle.

Kurram is located near the Afghan border. Many Taliban militants escaping a Pakistan army operation in the nearby Orakzai tribal region are believed to have fled there.

It is difficult to independently confirm the clash or death tolls because access to Pakistan's tribal belt is restricted.

Opinion

Editorial

Reserved seats
Updated 15 May, 2024

Reserved seats

The ECP's decisions and actions clearly need to be reviewed in light of the country’s laws.
Secretive state
15 May, 2024

Secretive state

THERE is a fresh push by the state to stamp out all criticism by using the alibi of protecting national interests....
Plague of rape
15 May, 2024

Plague of rape

FLAWED narratives about women — from being weak and vulnerable to provocative and culpable — have led to...
Privatisation divide
Updated 14 May, 2024

Privatisation divide

How this disagreement within the government will sit with the IMF is anybody’s guess.
AJK protests
14 May, 2024

AJK protests

SINCE last week, Azad Jammu & Kashmir has been roiled by protests, fuelled principally by a disconnect between...
Guns and guards
14 May, 2024

Guns and guards

THERE are some flawed aspects to our society that we must start to fix at the grassroots level. One of these is the...