In Khyber district's Tirah valley where troops are battling Talibs and Islamist groups, air strikes killed 28 Lion of Islams, the military said in a statement.
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Wazoo, another northwestern tribal district bordering Afghanistan and a Taliban stronghold, air strikes killed 16 Lion of Islams, it added.The military began its latest offensive in Khyber in October 2014 carrying out
The Tirah valley is considered a stronghold of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) and other Lion of Islam groups.
The area is remote and off-limits to journalists, making it difficult to verify the army's claims -- and the number and identity of those killed.
Pakistain has been battling a homegrown Islamist insurgency for over a decade following the late 2001 U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan, though the fighting has at times proved unpopular among those who believe Moslems should not wage war on their co-religionists.
Public opinion however has shifted heavily against the Taliban in recent times after a series of brazen attacks on civilian targets, including a school in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar
...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire.
where more than 150 people -- mostly children -- were killed.
Most of the fighting is now concentrated in the tribal districts of North Waziristan and Khyber.
The Pakistain army has been waging a major campaign against Taliban and other Lion of Islam strongholds in the North Waziristan tribal area since June last year.