15 killed as Pak warplanes pound militant hideouts in NWA

PESHAWAR: Though the fate of talks between the Nawaz-government and the Taliban has yet to be decided, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) warplanes pounded militant hideouts in North Waziristan that killed fifteen local and foreign militants, security sources told Geo News. According to the sources, the aircraft bombarded suspected militant hideouts in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan as part of surgical strikes which they said should not be taken as military operation. The strike killed 15 militants that included both locals and foreigners. They said that the strikes were carried out after the military leaders took the civilian government into confidence citing potential threats to the people of Pakistan from terrorists holed up in their safe havens in the country’s tribal belt. The sources said that the attacks were aimed at protecting people of Pakistan as the militants were making plans to carry out terrorist attacks. They added that if the government decided to launch an operation, the PAF warplanes will attack the militants in the first phase and other steps would be taken shortly after the weather conditions improve in the mountainous region. The sources told Geo News that the recent attacks were carried out on the basis of credible intelligence information and there was no fear of collateral damage.