DHAKA: Pakistani fighter jets on Sunday launched air strikes on militant hideouts in the northwest, killing at least 18 people, according to officials, in the latest retaliation for attacks by the militants that have derailed peace talks.

The strikes made on militant hideouts in the Tirah valley of the Khyber tribal district were the third in the series of raids by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) since February 20.

They follow the execution of 23 Pakistan soldiers by the Taleban last week, which cast doubts over dialogue initiated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on January 29.

‘Terrorists hideouts were targeted through air strikes in Tirah valley in Khyber early morning on Sunday. IED (Improvised Explosive Devices) making factories and huge quantity of explosive material were destroyed,’ said a senior security official in Islamabad, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 1833 HRS, FEB 23, 2014