Pakistan air strikes kill 34 militants

Pakistan's military yesterday said it killed 34 militants in air strikes on a tribal region near the Afghan border as part of a major offensive against insurgents that began last year. The strikes coincided with the appointment of the country's new air chief Sohail Aman, who will take over today from his predecessor Tahir Rafiq Butt upon completion of his three-year tenure.

The military began its latest offensive in Khyber in October 2014, four months after a similar operation in the North Waziristan district which was triggered by a bloody Taliban attack on Karachi airport that sank faltering peace talks.