Islamabad, July 05: At least 27 pro-Taliban militants have been killed when Pakistani fighter jets pounded the hideouts of the militants in north western Pakistan.
The Saturday air strikes hit three suspected militant positions in the Orakzai region, part of the rugged, lawless tribal belt along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, killing at least 12 militants, Press TV has learned.
Sources said various hideouts of militants were destroyed during the air assault, just a day after a helicopter crash that had claimed the lives of at least 26 soldiers in the Orakzai agency.
On Saturday, the Taliban said that it had shot down the helicopter, but the government has blamed the crash on a technical problem, although it has also ordered an investigation into the incident.
The US, which launched a major offensive against the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan this week, strongly supports Pakistan’s efforts to crack down on militants on its side of the frontier, believing it could help the US-led war in Afghanistan.
—–Agencies