Even as the peace dialogue with the Taliban is deadlocked, air strikes pounded militant hideouts in North Waziristan on Wednesday night, killing at least 15 persons, according to military sources.
Sources said the air strikes were carried out late night in Mir Ali in North Waziristan Agency to target militants hideouts with precision. There are confirmed reports of 15 militants including foreigners killed in these strikes. A huge cache of arms and ammunition has also been destroyed.
As there is increasing pressure on the government to go in for a military operation, yesterday security officials said that since the All Parties Conference in September 2013, 460 including 308 civilians, 114 military personnel and 38 police were killed and 1264, of which 684 were civilians, 531 military personnel and 49 police were injured due to terrorists acts throughout the country.
Military sources said militants involved in the Peshawar cinema blast on February 13 and the killing of Major Jehanzeb on February 18 near Peshawar were targeted in their hideouts in Khyber Agency, Bara on Thursday. Explosives and an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) factory were destroyed in air strikes. There are also reports of militants being killed in the strikes.
The sources also said in Wednesday night’s strikes in Mir Ali, North Waziristan Agency, 16 Uzbek terrorists were also killed. In Khyber Agency air strikes on Thursday seven terrorists including three suicide bombers and an important commander were killed as well.
