Pakistani army airstrikes kill 15 militants

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — The Pakistani army says it has carried out airstrikes in a tribal region near the Afghan border, killing at least 15 militants.

An army statement says the air raids on Tuesday morning pounded nine hideouts of the militants in the Tirah Valley of the Khyber tribal region.

The area is part of a lawless terrain along the Afghan border that is home to a mix of local militants and al-Qaida-linked foreign fighters.

The military action came less than 36 hours after 10 Pakistani Taliban militants launched an assault on the nation's busiest airport, killing 19 people and raising new challenges for the nuclear-armed nation that is trying to end years of fighting that has claimed thousands of lives.