Pakistani fighter jets have bombarded militants' hideouts in a tribal belt near the border with Afghanistan killing 19 insurgents. The incident happened Wednesday in the rugged Bajaur region, where Pakistani army launched a major offensive against al-Qaeda and Taliban linked militants last month.
"Fighter jets bombarded militant hideouts Wednesday, killing 19 rebels and wounding 16 others," a security official said, adding that "helicopter gunships also shelled bunkers dug up by militants in Rashakai, Zarmandi, Kossar and Banda areas".
The operation has left more than 800 people dead, mostly militants, and also left 260,000 people displaced, local media reports say.
The killings also coincide with US Joint Chief of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen's unannounced trip to Islamabad amid tensions over US raids on tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.
US and Afghan officials allege that militants use the mountainous region to launch cross-border attacks on US-led troops based in Afghanistan.
Pakistan's tribal regions have been wracked by violence since thousands of rebels sneaked into the country after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001.
Pakistan has suffered a wave of violence, and hundreds of civilians have lost their lives in suicide and bomb attacks across the country since former President Pervez Musharraf joined the US so-called 'war on terror' following the 9/11 attacks.