35 militants killed in NWA shelling

MIRANSHAH: The military authorities on Sunday claimed to have killed 35 militants, some of them foreigners, when PAF fighter jets pounded the hideouts of terrorists in the Dattakhel Tehsil of North Waziristan Agency (NWA).
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the fighter jets targeted the sanctuaries of militants in Ismailkhel and Lora Mandai areas of the Dattakhel Subdivision, near the Afghan border.
“Thirty-five militants were killed and several of their hideouts were destroyed in the shelling,” said a short ISPR statement.The report about the air strikes and killing of militants in the troubled North Waziristan came when the government was making its mind to send the displaced tribesmen back home.
Senior military officials announced that North Waziristan had been cleared of terrorists and that the displaced people would soon be sent back to their villages and homes.However, the Sunday’s air strikes and killing of militants in such a large number proved that the situation in the tribal region was still unsatisfactory.
Security forces had been conducting the military operation in Mir Ali and Miranshah since June 15, 2014. Most of the villages in these two towns had reportedly been cleared of militants.However, the forces didn’t launch a ground offensive in Dattakhel and its adjoining areas. They are mostly depending on air strikes due to the difficult terrain and its proximity to the Afghan border.Dattakhel is the hometown of North Waziristan Taliban leader Hafiz Gul Bahadur.