Pakistani fighter jets Sunday killed 16 Islamist militants in airstrikes, the military said, as an offensive against Taliban insurgents in the country's north-west enters its third week, reports DPA. Military planes bombed seven suspected hideouts used by militants linked with the al-Qaeda terrorist network around Mir Ali town in North Waziristan tribal district near the Afghan border, an army statement said.
More than half a million civilians have already fled the region since the operation was launched on June 15, said an official with the disaster management agency.
