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Pakistan army strikes Taliban

June 10, 2014

The Pakistani army has said it has carried out airstrikes on militants in a tribal region near the Afghan border. The military action follows a deadly attack by Pakistani Taliban militants on Karachi airport.

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An army statement released Tuesday said a morning airstrike in the Tirah Valley of Pakistan's Khyber trial region destroyed "nine terrorist hideouts" and killed at least 15 militants.

This death toll could not be independently verified.

The area is part of a lawless terrain along the Afghan border where Taliban and al-Qaeda linked militants have strongholds.

The airstrike follows an attack launched late Sunday by at least 10 militants on Karachi's international airport. After hours of fighting, security forces regained control of the airport. The attack, which was claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, killed at least 19 people.

The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has been waging a bloody insurgency against the state since 2007, which has killed thousands of people.

Tuesday's military assault is the latest in a succession of such attacks carried out by the country's military in the tribal belt after talks with the Taliban broke down earlier this year. In May, strikes carried out by the army in North Waziristan killed at least 75 people.

hc/dr (AFP, AP)