[Dawn] Pakistani troops on Tuesday killed at least 24 alleged militants in the lawless northwest Khyber district near the Afghan border, the military said.The army launched an offensive in the tribal district, home to the fabled Khyber Pass into neighbouring Afghanistan, eight days ago after a suicide bomber targeted a border post killing 22 policemen. 'Security forces killed at least 24 militants and destroyed two militant headquarters and two hideouts in Bara town of Khyber,' a statement from the paramilitary Frontier Corps said.
The current offensive is against fighters with the Lashkar-e-Islam (Army of Islam), a militant group battling the government in Khyber that has some ties to the Pakistan Taliban.
On Monday, the military had claimed killing 10 militants in Khyber but such tolls are impossible to confirm independently.