MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (AFP) -Pakistani helicopter gunships pounded suspected militant hideouts early Sunday in a restive tribal region near the Afghan border killing at least four civilians, officials said.
Two women and two children were killed when the attack demolished a house near the town of Mir Ali, a local administration official told AFP.
Residents said two suspected Uzbek militants were also killed. They had rented rooms in the house from a local man, they said. Officials could not immediately confirm the reports.
Four helicopters took part in the operation targetting suspected sites in the North Waziristan region, a local administration official told AFP.
A security official said on condition of anonymity the helicopters targetted at least six separate locations near military checkposts located between Mir-Ali and the region’s main town Miranshah.
The posts have come under repeated attack since pro-Taliban militants scrapped a peace accord with the government in mid-July.
Sunday’s attack followed separate gun and bomb attacks in the area which killed four Pakistani soldiers the day before.