Air strikes kill 28 militants in North Waziristan

By
AFP
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Air strikes kill 28 militants in North Waziristan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military Tuesday said it had killed 28 militants in air strikes in the restive tribal region near the Afghan border, a region where it has been battling militant groups for more than a decade.

The strikes, that also killed a number of foreign fighters, took place on Tuesday in Dattakhel area of North Waziristan district, a stronghold of Taliban-linked groups, the military said in a statement.

Pakistan has been battling in its semi-autonomous tribal belt since 2004 after its army entered the region to search for Al-Qaeda fighters that had fled across the border following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan.

In June, the army began an operation in the North Waziristan agency after a bloody raid on Karachi Airport ended faltering peace talks between the government and militants.

North Waziristan is a major base for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (Pakistani Taliban), which began it´s campaign against the state in 2007 and also provides shelter to a number of foreign militant groups.

Pakistan´s army says it has killed more than a thousand militants and lost 86 soldiers since the start of the operation. (AFP)