22 militants killed in Datta Khel air strikes

The strikes were carried out close to the Datta Khel area of the North Waziristan tribal region, the main bastion of Islamist militants who rose up against the state in 2004.

“Twenty-two terrorists were killed in precise aerial strikes today,” the military said in a statement.

Overall levels of militancy-linked violence have dropped dramatically this year, with 2015 on course for the fewest deaths among civilian and security forces since 2007 — the year the Pakistani Taliban umbrella group was formed.

The brief capture of the northern Afghan city of Kunduz this week dealt a stinging blow to the country’s NATO-trained military and highlighted the insurgency’s potential to expand beyond its rural strongholds.