Pakistan: Airstrikes near Afghan border kill 23 militants
Pakistani fighter jets killed 23 militants on Friday (Dec 18) in airstrikes carried out in the country’s remote tribal belt near the Afghan border, the military said in a statement.
The strikes were in the Shawal area of North Waziristan and Khyber tribal district, it said. “As a result of precise air strikes, six terrorists’ hideouts were destroyed in which 23 terrorists were killed and more than 10 injured,” the statement said.
The strikes were part of a major offensive aimed at clearing Taliban and al-Qaeda strongholds that began last year in North Waziristan, one of seven Pakistani tribal districts bordering Afghanistan. The conflict zone is remote and off-limits to journalists, making it difficult to verify the army’s claims, including the number and identity of those killed.