PESHAWAR: At least 23 suspected militants were killed in air strikes carried out by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in the Rajgal area of Khyber Agency’s Tirah Valley close to the Pak-Afghan border on Tuesday. “PAF jets struck hideouts of the militants in Tirah valley,” said a statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations. The statement further added that six hideouts of terrorists were destroyed while 10 suspected militants were also injured as a result of precise air strikes. Khyber Agency and North Waziristan are among Pakistan’s seven semi-autonomous tribal districts near the Afghan border, rife with homegrown insurgents and foreign militants. The tribal area is off limits to journalists, making it difficult to verify the identity and the number of dead. These areas have also been considered home to religious extremist organisations including al Qaeda and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Military operation Zarb-e-Azb and the National Action Plan were launched against insurgents following attacks on Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport and Peshawar’s Army Public School in 2014. Officials say nearly 3,400 militants have been killed since the launch of the latest offensive. The number of attacks in Pakistan has fallen around 70 percent this year, due to a combination of a military offensive against Taliban bases along the Afghan border and government initiatives to tackle militancy. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif said on Tuesday the army will consolidate operation Zarb-e-Azb gains. He said that those killed and injured in the Army Public School (APS) attack have rendered great sacrifices for the country, which will be remembered forever.