Islamabad: Fifty seven terrorists have been killed by Pakistani security forces in air strikes in the Khyber Agency tribal region.
The strikes follow the massacre of schoolchildren by Taliban assailants in Peshawar, the head of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday.
More than 140 children and nine staff members were killed in Tuesday’s terror assault on the Army Public School in the capital of northwestern Khyber Pakthunkhwa province.
ISPR Director General Major General Asim Bajwa said twenty air strikes were carried out on hideouts of terrorists in Tirah Valley of Khyber tribal area.
He said Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif was himself reviewing the military operations against militants in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.
The armed forces had launched a full-scale offensive in North Waziristan tribal region in June and according to the military well over a thousand terrorists have been killed there in the past six months.
Militant dens have also been targeted periodically in Khyber Agency tribal area.
Gen Raheel Sharif, accompanied by ISI Chief Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar, visited Kabul on Wednesday.
They met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Commander of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan General John Campbell to share “vital elements of intelligence” regarding the Peshawar school attack, ISPR said in a statement.
According to the statement the Afghan president “assured Gen Raheel Sharif that Afghan soil will not be allowed for terrorists’ activities against Pakistan and any signature found in this regard will be immediately eliminated.”
The ISAF commander also assured of its complete support in eliminating terrorist in his area of responsibility, the statement said.
General Sharif assured Afghan President full support to the Afghan unity government in all spheres including joint efforts against terrorists, it added.
