Military kills 14 'terrorists' in Khyber Agency

ISLAMABAD: Military killed at least 14 'terrorists' in air strikes and a ground operation in a restive tribal region near the Afghan border on Tuesday, said the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement.

The army offensive took place in the mountainous terrain of Rajgal in Khyber Agency, one of the seven semi-autonomous tribal districts where the military has been fighting Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked militants for over a decade.

"The operation was conducted in areas close to Afghan border in which 11 terrorists were also injured," read the ISPR statement.

The operation along the Pak-Afghan border has been launched to reinforce troops' deployment in Rajgal valley to effectively check and guard against terrorists movement along high mountains and all weather passes in Khyber Agency, according to the ISPR.

Pakistan has been battling an insurgency since 2004, following the US-led invasion of neighbouring Afghanistan in 2001 and the subsequent spillover of militants into its territory.

The army launched operation "Zarb-e-Azb" in June 2014 in a bid to wipe out militant bases in North Waziristan and so bring an end to the bloody insurgency that has cost thousands of civilian lives.

Security in the country has since improved. Scattered attacks still take place, but they are fewer and of a lesser intensity than in previous years.