At least 20 suspected militants were killed and several others injured early on Sunday as jet fighters targeted militant hideouts in Bara tehsil of Khyber tribal region.
The areas targeted are reportedly the main operational terror centers of banned outfits.
Sources said that militants’ hideouts in Sipah, Malakdin Khel, Nalan Sur Kas areas of Bara were targeted in the fresh air attacks, in which five dens were destroyed.
Scores of families have been moving to safer places as the offensive against militant groups is picking up.
Khyber is among Pakistan’s seven semi-autonomous tribal districts near the Afghan border, rife with homegrown insurgents and foreign militants. These are also home to religious extremist organisations including al Qaeda.
The plains of Bara hold strategic significance for militant groups as they connect the agency to the outskirts of Peshawar. The area was being used by militants to put pressure on the provincial capital. In recent weeks, police and military posts in and around Peshawar have come under attack.
The key area also straddles the NATO supply line into Afghanistan.
Khyber also links several agencies to each other, serving as a north-south route within the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata). The region has been long fought over by a mix of militant organisations, including the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Ansarul Islam and Mangal Bagh’s Lashkar-e-Islam.
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