At least 14 militants were killed and 15 injured when Pakistan Air Force jets hit their hideouts in the restive north-western tribal areas, dpa quoted security officials as saying Thursday. The multiple strikes were carried out across the district of Orakzai in the centre of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, which sit on the Afghan border and where government forces are battling Islamist insurgents. A senior security official said on the condition of anonymity that the army called in the airstrikes in the Dabori, Hadizai, Mamozai and Mullazai areas after a tip-off that militants were hiding in the area. The government sent troops into the district in March after reports that the Taliban has established training camps there. Officials said hundreds of militants and dozens of soldiers were killed in the ground operations. The government said the Taliban have been cleared from most of the district but many are still hiding in the mountainous areas of upper Orakzai and launching attacks on security forces. -- SPA
