By Xinhua
Islamabad : At least 10 suspected militants have been killed and eight injured after Pakistani security forces shelled guerrilla hideouts in a tribal region, a military spokesman said.
Major General Waheed Arshad said the operation was launched Tuesday after the security forces received information about two hideouts in North Waziristan.
He said the miscreants had dumped explosives and equipments to make improvised devices in their hideouts.
Media reports said that gunship helicopters were also used in the operation, which lasted about three hours.
The private Geo TV reported that in a separate incident, a security man was killed when armed men attacked a check post in Banda, four kilometres south of Miranshah, the centre of North Waziristan.
Violence has increased in the region after tribal militants scrapped a peace deal with the government following storming of the Islamabad based Lal Masjid by Pakistani security forces last month.