BANNU: Pakistani jets and helicopter gunships attacked suspected militant hideouts in restive North Waziristan tribal agency on Monday and killed at least 33 people, the military said.

The strikes took place in the Datta Khel and Gharlamai districts of the remote tribal region.

“In two different aerial engagements in North Waziristan today, nine terrorist hideouts were destroyed killing a total of 33 terrorists,” a military statement said.

Local security officials said the militants killed in the Datta Khel area were mostly Uzbeks and others who belonged to the Haqqani network.

In a separate incident on Monday, at least nine soldiers were injured when militants targeted a security forces vehicle with an improvised explosive device (IED) in Charmang tehsil of Bajaur tribal agency.

The injured included seven Frontier Corps (FC) personnel and two Levies men.

Pakistan has been battling extremist militants in its semi-autonomous tribal belt since 2004, after the army entered the region to search for Al Qaeda fighters who had fled across the border following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan.

More: http://www.dawn.com/news/1140714/airstrikes-kill-33-suspected-militants-in-north-waziristan-ispr