By Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan
For the third day running Pakistan army jets pounded militant hideouts in northwestern Pakistan's far-flung Shawwal valley, killing nine suspected militants.
The fresh round of air strikes in the valley, part of the North Waziristan tribal area, brought the number of militants killed to 31 over the last three days, a senior military official said on condition of anonymity.
The official said suspected Taliban hideouts were destroyed as the army focuses on the area near the Afghan border which has become a stronghold of besieged Taliban fighters.
North Waziristan is one of the seven semi-autonomous tribal areas of Pakistan and has been the focus of an anti-militant army operation launched June 15 2014 to push the Taliban out of the area.
According to the Pakistan army, over 2,600 suspected militants have been killed in aerial strikes and clashes with the Taliban in the last ten months. Over 100 soldiers have also lost their lives during this period.
The military operation has displaced nearly 1 million tribesmen from North Waziristan.
