Army launches airstrikes in NW Pakistan, killing 12 militants

At least 12 militants were killed and five others injured when Pakistani army launched airstrikes in the country's northwest tribal area of Khyber Agency on Sunday, local Urdu media reported.

The troops, backed by jet fighters from Pakistan Airforce, pounded several hideouts of the suspected militants in Rajgal area of Khyber Agency, a semi-autonomous tribal region along Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Dawn News reported.

Identities of the killed militants have not been revealed by the army yet, but the targeted area is believed to be a hotbed of Al-Qaeda and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan activities.

This is the first strike against suspected militants in the tribal areas since the country's new army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa took the charge earlier this week.

The military has been carrying out aerial and ground operations in the Rajgal area since August this year to reinforce troops' deployment and effectively check and guard against terrorists' movement along high mountains and all weather passes in Khyber Agency.

Prior to that there was no check on the movement of the militants as Rajgal valley was out of the control of the forces and the militants used to move freely in the area.

The army's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations said that security forces have occupied passes and are now consolidating their positions up in high mountains of Rajgal.

Sunday's airstrikes were launched in the area after a lull of two months. Endit