Top Taliban commander, 12 militants killed in Orakzai

posted in dawn



KOHAT, May 24: An important Taliban commander and 12 other militants were killed in air attacks in Orakzai Agency on Sunday.

Warplanes bombed strongholds of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan in Dabori and Kharasahi and destroyed huge ammunition dumps and bunkers which were still on fire late in the evening.

The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan commander killed in the attack was identified as Ehsanullah.

Reports reaching here said that the entire area echoed with the sound of powerful blasts and people started moving to safe places.

The air strike started at about 8.20am and continued for more than two hours, officials said. Between 15 and 20 people were injured when a bomb hit a seminary in Dabori. The planes also hit houses where militants were reported to be hiding.

A telephone exchange and some populated areas also came under attack but there were no reports of civilian casualties.

Officials said it was difficult to confirm reports about casualties because militant hideouts were spread across a vast area.

They said it took 12 to 15 hours to reach some of the places and by that time militants managed to take away bodies of their men and bury them in different areas.

Dozens of militants were reported killed in Ferozekhel where a seminary run by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan militants was destroyed.