Five militants killed in Pakistan airstrikes

Islamabad: At least five suspected militants were killed and their hideouts destroyed in military airstrikes in Pakistan's Tirrah valley, media reported on Sunday.

The militants were killed in the aerial attacks on Saturday, Dawn reported.

Though the military did not issue any statement about the casualties, intelligence officials claimed that five suspects affiliated with the banned Lashkar-i-Islam were killed.

The aerial attacks by the military were a part of the ongoing Khyber-II operation aimed at flushing out militants from the Tirrah valley, which is known to be the home of militants of the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the allied Lashkar-i-Islam group.

Tirrah valley covers the Khyber, Kurram and Orakzai agencies (tribal areas) of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan.

According to official sources, helicopters attacked some of the important hideouts and bunkers of the militants on adjoining hilltops which posed a hazard to ground offensives by the security forces.

Lashkar-i-Islam spokesman Salahuddin Ayubi conceded the destruction of hideouts on Saturday, but insisted that no member of the group were killed.

He also claimed that militants had captured two soldiers, but the claims could not be verified.

Meanwhile, at least two soldiers were reportedly killed when an improvised explosive device went off near a military vehicle in the South Waziristan tribal agency.

The TTP claimed responsibility for the attack.