The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Khar

Pakistani troops backed by helicopter gunships and jets shelled hideouts of Islamic militants linked to Al-Qaeda in a northwestern tribal area, killing 15 rebels, a security official said Tuesday.

Government forces launched a major offensive against rebel positions in the rugged Bajaur region near the Afghan border last month.

The operations has left nearly 700 people dead, mostly militants, and also displaced 260,000.

"Troops killed at least 15 militants and wounded 20 others in shelling that started Monday afternoon and continued until Tuesday morning," a security official told AFP. There was no immediate independent verification of the casualty figures.

The troops, also using heavy artillery, targeted militant positions in the areas of Tang Khata, Rashakai and Loisam, he said.

Pakistan's tribal regions have been wracked by violence since thousands of Taliban and Al-Qaeda rebels sneaked into the country after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001.

US and Afghan officials have repeatedly claimed the mountainous region is used by militants to launch cross-border attacks on international troops based in Afghanistan.

Violence linked to Pakistan's role in the "war on terror" has claimed the lives of more than 1,200 people in suicide and bomb attacks across the country in the past year.

Meanwhile, Pakistani aircraft bombed militant strongholds in a northwestern region on Tuesday while U.S. drones prowled the sky over another militant sanctuary on the Afghan border, a military official and residents said.

Pakistani forces launched offensives against al Qaeda and Taliban militants in the northwest in August and the government says hundreds of militants have been killed.