Saturday, December 20, 2014

Peshawar school attack mastermind among 21 killed in Khyber Agency airstrikes

At least 21 militants including Umar Naray alias Umar Khalifa, a well-known commander of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan`s Tariq Geedar group, have been killed in fresh airstrikes in the Khyber tribal region today (Saturday), sources told.
According to security sources, military jets bombed seven militant hideouts in Tirah Valley on Saturday morning.
Umar Khalifa, mastermind of Tuesday’s attack on Army Public School in Peshawar, was killed along with 21 other militants. Seven other militants were also injured in the airstrikes.
Tariq Geedar Group was based in Darra Adamkhel and was headed by Umar Khalifa. The same group was involved in attack on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK-756 in Peshawar in June this year, that left a woman passenger dead and two crew members wounded.
Earlier on Friday, 32 insurgents were killed by security forces in an ambush in the Tirah area of Khyber, where the Taliban and other militants have taken refuge from ongoing army offensive Zarbe-e-Azb.
"Reportedly a group of terrorists was moving from Tirah towards Pak-Afghan border. Security forces ambushed the moving group at Wurmagai and Spurkot, killing 32 terrorists in exchange of fire," the statement said, adding that three security personnel were injured.
The government and military have reaffirmed their determination to defeat the Taliban following the school massacre in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
Tehreek-Taliban gunmen stormed the Army Public School in Peshawar Tuesday, killing 148 people, including 132 children, in the country`s deadliest ever terror attack.

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