Pakistan: At Least 85 Killed in Orakzai Air Strikes

Military Claims Five "Key Commanders" Among Slain

According to the Pakistani military at least 85 “suspected militants” were killed and some 40 others were wounded in a series of air strikes against suspected hideouts across the Orakzai Agency.

Though the identities of the vast majority of the slain were unclear, the military said they believed that five “key commanders” were among them. The names of the commanders were Ajmir Mullah, Seen Asghar, Lal Zada, Zahid Khan and Qeemat Khan.

It is the third major assault of the tiny Orakzai Agency in the past week, the other two were each reported to kill 60 “militants” according to military sources.

In addition, the military claims that some 115 people surrendered last week after the posting of notices asking them to do so. Since launching the offensive in March nearly 900 suspects have been killed, and Over 200,000 civilians have been driven from their homes.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.