Pakistan army airstrikes kill 25 militants near Afghan border

Asia-Pacific, News October 1, 2015 , by IRIA No Comments

At least 25 militants have been killed in army in northwestern Pakistan, according to the country’s armed forces.

The strikes were conducted close to the Datta Khel area of the North Waziristan tribal region on the border with neighboring Afghanistan.

“Twenty-five terrorists were killed in precise aerial strikes today,” said a statement by the military released on Thursday.

The airstrikes were conducted as part of a major operation against pro-Taliban militants and other insurgents, the statement further read.

The Pakistani army has been waging a full-scale operation against militant hideouts in North Waziristan since June last year, when a deadly raid on the Karachi International Airport ended the government’s faltering peace talks with the pro-Taliban militants.

According to the Pakistani military officials, at least 3,000 militants have so far been killed in the army offensive.

According to the Pakistani Interior Ministry, more than 60,000 people have also lost their lives in the wave of violence and militancy sweeping across the country over the past years.

The tribal regions on Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan are a hideout for militant groups. Pro-Taliban militants use the mountainous border areas to launch attacks in both countries.