44 militants killed in Pak air strikes

At least 44 militants were today killed in precise aerial strikes by Pakistani forces in the country's volatile tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, where a major military campaign against the Taliban is underway.
In Tirah area of Khyber agency, 28 militants were killed in air strikes, the military said.
While in Datta Khel area of North Waziristan, 16 -- mostly foreign militants -- were killed, it added.
The Tirah Valley, which shares borders with the tribal agencies of Khurram and Orakzai and also with the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar, is considered a stronghold of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups.

The military began a major offensive in Khyber in October 2014 carrying out airstrikes and using artillery, mortars and ground troops.
The Khyber-II operation was launched in mid-October last year following reports that some militants had fled the ongoing military offensive in North Waziristan Agency to seek shelter in the strategic Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency.

The army launched an offensive Operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan against militants in June 2014.
The military operations were intensified after a series of brazen attacks on civilian targets, including a school in Peshawar where more than 150 people -- mostly children -- were killed.

Pakistan has been battling a homegrown insurgency for over a decade after the late 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan.