Islamabad: At least 65 militants were killed in separate airstrikes carried out by the Pakistan Army in the country's northwestern tribal area of North Waziristan Wednesday, officials said.
Inter Services Public Relations, the mouthpiece of Pakistan Army, said in a statement that 30 militants were killed when their two hideouts were targeted and destroyed by the army jet fighters in Shawal area of North Waziristan.
The target is restive tribal area on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where security forces have been carrying out a major armed offensive against Taliban militants since June 15.
The Shawal airstrike was the second of its kind in the North Waziristan region Wednesday, Xinhua reported.
Earlier in the morning, 35 militants were killed when army jets pounded three militants' hideouts in Datta Khel area of North Waziristan.
To date, over 900 militants have been killed in the operation that aims at wiping out the militant stronghold in the area.
Talking to media earlier last month, Gen. Raheel Sharif, the country's chief of army staff, said the armed forces were determined to flush out the militants with their highly-skilled trained and professional expertise even from remote and hard areas of North Waziristan.
Media reports said that around 25,000 to 30,000 troops are participating in the ongoing operation.
Over one million people have fled the offensive in the area and are living in refugee camps in Bannu area of neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
