12 suspected terrorists killed in Khyber Agency air strikes

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PESHAWAR: At least 12 suspected terrorists were reportedly killed in air strikes in the Rajgal valley area of Khyber Agency on Sunday.

According to security sources several hideouts were also destroyed in the air strikes.

Pakistan Air Force jets precisely targeted militant hideouts in Rajgal valley in which 12 militants were killed and several hideouts were destroyed, said security officials.

Khyber Agency and North Waziristan are among Pakistan’s seven semi-autonomous tribal districts near the Afghan border, rife with homegrown insurgents and foreign militants.

These areas have also been considered home to religious extremist organisations including Al Qaeda and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Military operation Zarb-e-Azb and the National Action Plan were launched against insurgents following attacks on Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport and Peshawar’s Army Public School in 2014.

Officials say nearly 3,000 militants have been killed since the launch of the latest offensive.

The number of attacks in Pakistan has fallen around 70 per cent this year, due to a combination of a military offensive against Taliban bases along the Afghan border and government initiatives to tackle militancy.