Airstrikes kill 60 militants in Pak

About 60 militants were killed in airstrikes by Pakistan military and a gun battle that ensued after terrorists attacked army check posts in the volatile northwest tribal region, officials said on Saturday.

The militants attacked the check posts in Shindara and Khazana Kandao in Orakzai Agency near the Afghan border early this morning and Pakistani troops repulsed the assault, killing 20 militants and injuring 20 others.

At least four soldiers were also injured in the shootout. They have been brought to Peshawar for treatment. Meanwhile, 39 militants, including two terrorist commanders, were killed in airstrikes by 

Pakistani fighter jets in the restive Dattakhel area.

“Yesterday Dattakhel strikes; Took out huge UG ammo depot, explosions heard even by pilots. Death toll rises to 39 incl 2 Terrorist comds,” military spokesman Asim Bajwa tweeted.

Also on Friday, hundreds of terror suspects were arrested across Pakistan while 10 unregistered religious seminaries were sealed in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province as the the government stepped up its offensive against militants. Orakzai is one of Pakistan’s seven semi-autonomous tribal regions in the northwest, where militants linked to Pakistani Taliban and al-Qaeda are believed to have their stronghold.

United Nations: UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has called on the Pakistan government to bring an end to the executions of convicts and re-impose a moratorium on the death penalty. Ban’s appeal follows Pakistan’s recent decision to lift a six-year moratorium on the use of the death penalty following this month’s terrorist attack on a school in Peshawar which claimed the lives of 150 people, mostly children.

Ban spoke over the phone with Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Dec 25 and reiterated his condolences to the people, government and communities affected by the school attack, according to a readout of the call provided by Ban’s spokesperson here on Friday. “While fully recognising the circumstances, the secretary-general urged Pakistan to stop the executions of convicts and re-impose the moratorium on the death penalty,” the readout said.