Fighter Jets Strike Kills 15 Militants In NW Pakistan

Islamabad, May 30, IRNA – At least 15 militants were killed when fighter jets pounded militant hideouts in Pakistan’s north western tribal region on Tuesday, media reports said. Ten ‘militants’ were killed when fighter jets pounded suspected insurgent hideouts in Orakzai tribal region’s Mamozai, Jandarkhel and Samaa Bazaar areas. The bombardment destroyed three suspected militant hideouts. Orakzai Agency, the lone tribal region of Pakistan which does not have borders with Afghanistan, had been once the stronghold of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. The security forces had established posts in different parts of Orakzai agency after expelling the militants of most of their former base. But they are still hiding in several remote and hilly areas and launch attacks on the forces. Many TTP leaders also took shelter in Orakzai after they were expelled as the result of major offensive by Pakistani forces in South Waziristan tribal region in 2009. Orakzai had been relatively peaceful tribal region before the Taliban activities there. Meanwhile in another attack by air force jets, five suspected militants were killed in the Khyber tribal region’s Tirah valley area. The casualty figures from the reported action could not be independently verified./end