No let-up in offensives against Fata militants

Helicopter gunships, fighter jets and artillery pounded militant hideouts in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan, killing 18 rebels, officials said, reported a private TV channel on Monday.

The strikes were carried out at militants’ hideouts across Bajaur, where troops and extremists have been locked in fierce fighting since August.

Helicopter gunships, jet fighters and artillery hit militants’ hideouts, killing 18 militants and wounding more than a dozen others, a senior security official said.

Local administration officials have confirmed the deaths of 18 Taliban fighters in Monday’s offensive.

The jets struck militant positions at several places in the Charmang and Loisam sub-districts of Bajaur Agency, considered strongholds of the local Taliban militants. A number of militant hideouts were destroyed in the bombing, the channels reported.

Meanwhile, the security forces continued offensive against pro-Taliban militants and killed another seven miscreants and wounded 10 others at Shah Dheri in restive Tehsil Kabal in Swat district.