21 militants killed in Pakistani air strikes near Afghan border

Pakistani fighter jets pounded the hideouts of the militants in Kokikhel area of Tirah valley in Khyber tribal district, killing 21 militants.

Pakistani fighter jets bombarded the insurgent hideouts in the country’s troubled northwest frontier bordering Afghanistan, killing at least 21 militants on Friday.

The fighter jets pounded the hideouts of the militants in Kokikhel area of Tirah valley in Khyber tribal district, security officials said.

Pakistan has cleared major parts of Khyber and its remote Tirah region but militants are still holding near the porous border region and are targeted on the basis of intelligence reports.

Like Khyber, army has also cleared North Waziristan and its Shawal valley which is also on the border with Afghanistan.

Both Tirah and Shawal were the last major strongholds of militants who killed more than 55,000 people in Pakistan during more than a decade long insurgency.