Pakistan army kills rebels in restive north

The Pakistan military has killed at least 24 fighters in combined air strikes and ground fighting in northwestern tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, as part of ongoing offensives in the region.

Air strikes took place in the restive North Waziristan tribal district on Tuesday, where the army first launched a major operation in June targeting Taliban and Haqqani network fighters.

The strikes came as ground troops traded fire with gunmen in Khyber Valley, where Taliban and Lashkar-e-Islam fighters are based.

“In early morning precise aerial strikes in North Waziristan Agency today 17 terrorists were killed including some foreigners,” a senior security official told the AFP news agency.

Local intelligence officials confirmed the air strikes and said they took place near Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan.

“There are five Uzbek and two Haqqani network militants among those who have been killed in the air strikes,” an intelligence official told AFP.

Separately, seven fighters were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Khyber’s Tirah Valley, when up to 60 fighters stormed a security check post, according to military officials.

The north Waziristan operation began in mid-June, when jets and artillery began targeting rebel strongholds before ground forces moved in.

The army says it has killed more than 1,100 fighters and lost more than 100 soldiers since the start of the operation.