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.