PESHAWAR: At least 25 suspected militants were killed in air strikes in North Waziristan`s Dattakhel area on Friday.

According to sources, warplanes pounded militants` hideouts in the Sher Ali and Mazier villages of Dattakhel, about 45 kilometres west of the agency`s headquarters Miramshah on Friday afternoon.

According to AFP, the strikes were carried out against different militant groups, including the Haqgani network and the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakist an.

`At least 25 insurgents have been killed and several of their hideouts have been destroyed along with vehicles full of explosives,` a security official said.

Five of those killed were members of the Haqqani network, 10 were Uzbek and Chechen militants, and about 10 were from the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).`Some of the hideouts targeted today were jointly used by Haqqanis and foreign militants,` the official said.

The term `foreign militants` is frequently used by officials to refer to Uzbeks and Chechens who are often aligned with the Haqqani network, which is accused of sending fighters and suicide bombers to target US and Nato troops in Afghanistan.

A second security official confirmed the air strikes and casualties, but said that exact number of those killed was not yet clear.

North Waziristan has been a hub for Al Qaeda and Taliban militants since the early 2000s. The military says it has killed more than 3,600 insurgents since it launched a renewed operation against militant groups in 2014. It says 358 soldiers have also lost their lives.

The conflict zone is remote and off-limits to journalists, making it difficult to verify the army`s claims, including the number and identity of those killed.`Some of the hideouts targeted today were jointly used by Haqqanis and foreign militants,` the official said.

The term `foreign militants` is frequently used by officials to refer to Uzbeks and Chechens who are often aligned with the Haqqani network, which is accused of sending fighters and suicide bombers to target US and Nato troops in Afghanistan.

A second security official confirmed the air strikes and casualties, but said that exact number of those killed was not yet clear.

North Waziristan has been a hub for Al Qaeda and Taliban militants since the early 2000s. The military says it has killed more than 3,600 insurgents since it launched a renewed operation against militant groups in 2014. It says 358 soldiers have also lost their lives.

The conflict zone is remote and off-limits to journalists, making it difficult to verify the army`s claims, including the number and identity of those killed.