Troops killed at least 27 Taliban in various districts of Malakand division over "the last 24 hours", said the ISPR in the latest update of the military offensive in the region, after fighter jets reportedly destroyed two Taliban hideouts in South Waziristan, killing six men believed to be associates of Baitullah Mehsud. The ISPR said troops had also arrested several Taliban and destroyed a number of their hideouts. In South Waziristan, the AP news agency said the airstrikes flattened hideouts of Baitullah's associates in two villages late on Tuesday.
Separately in North Waziristan, Taliban fired two mortar shells at an army camp in Khar, killing a security forces personnel and seriously wounding five others. The injured were flown to hospital in Peshawar, where one of them is said to be in critical condition.
In Bajaur Agency, a jirga of elders and clerics from Alizai tribes handed over six Taliban commanders wanted by the government to the political administration. The jirga also announced full support for the government against the Taliban.