Pak forces kill five militants in Khyber agency

Pakistani security forces today killed at least five militants in the country's restive northwestern Khyber region, where military has launched a major offencive against the Taliban.
The forces targeted the militants' hideouts in Akakhel area of Bara Tehsil in Khyber agency, killing five rebels and injuring six others, The Dawn reported.
The attack was part of the ongoing Khyber-I operation launched in the district last month against Lashkar-i-Islam (LI) hideouts in Tirah valley and Bara Tehsil.
Scores of families have been moved to safer places as the offencive against militant groups has intensified.
Khyber is among Pakistan's seven semi-autonomous tribal districts near the Afghan border, rife with homegrown insurgents and foreign militants. It is also home to religious extremist organisations, including al-Qaeda.

The plains of Bara hold strategic significance for militant groups as they connect the agency to the outskirts of Peshawar.
The key area also straddles the NATO supply line into Afghanistan.
The latest operation was launched amidst Zarb-i-Azb, a full-fledged military operation being conducted by the army against Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militants in the North Waziristan tribal region.