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Security officials claim the deceased were mostly Uzbek militants with some members of the Haqqani network.
Helicopter gunships on Monday attacked suspected militant hideouts in North Waziristan and killed at least 33 people, the military said.
The strikes took place in the Datta Khel and Gharlamai districts of North Waziristan, according to a statement issued to media. “In two different aerial engagements in North Waziristan today, nine terrorist hideouts were destroyed killing a total of 33 terrorists,” the statement said.
Local security officials said the militants killed in Datta Khel were mostly Uzbeks and others who belonged to the Haqqani network.
Pakistan has been battling Islamist groups in its tribal belt since 2004, after its Army entered the region to search for Al Qaeda fighters who had fled across the border following the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan.
In June the Army began an offensive, Operation Zarb-e-Azb, against militant hideouts in North Waziristan. The Army says it has killed over 1,000 militants and lost 86 soldiers since the start of the operation. But the number and identity of those killed is difficult to verify because journalists do not have regular access to the conflict zones.