Fresh air strikes kill 11 militants in north Pakistan

At least 11 militants were killed and 12 others wounded as fresh air strikes by the Pakistani military targeted militant hideouts in Khyber tribal agency of northern Pakistan bordering Afghanistan, the military said on Tuesday.
Jet fighters targeted and destroyed three militant bases in Kukikhel, Malikdin Khel, and Akakhel areas of Tirah Valley in Khyber, the statement issued by the military's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) added.
The strikes come on the day when at least two people were injured in a blast targeting a security forces vehicle in Bannu district of northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
They are a continuation of the comprehensive military operations 'Khyber-I' and 'Zarb e Azb' launched in Khyber and North Waziristan tribal regions against foreign and local militants. Khyber and North Waziristan are among Pakistan's seven semi-autonomous tribal districts near the Afghan border facing militants' insurgency over the past years.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday gave the go-ahead to initiate the rehabilitation of internally displaced persons from the tribal region during the operations. He said that "Operation Zarb-e-Azb had inflicted a fatal blow to terrorists and Pakistan's armed forces had given exemplary sacrifices in this operation."