Pakistani air strikes killed at least 21 militants and injured six others Saturday in attacks on their hideouts in a restive northwestern tribal areas, officials said.
The attacks were launched in the Tirah Valley, where the Taliban and another banned terrorist group have taken refuge.
Pakistan has been battling terrorist groups in its semi-autonomous tribal belt since 2004 after its army entered the region to search for Al-Qaeda fighters who had fled across the border following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan.
In June the army began an offensive in the North Waziristan district after a bloody raid on Karachi Airport ended faltering peace talks with the Taliban.
North Waziristan had become a major base for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which rose up against the state in 2007.
The United States had long called for military action in the tribal areas because militant groups there had targeted NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Pakistan's army says it has killed more than a thousand militants and lost 86 soldiers since the start of the operation.
