Pakistani forces have targeted militants in the northwest for a third day, launching airstrikes that they say killed at least nine suspected insurgents.
Helicopter gunships Saturday pounded militant hideouts in the Orakzai tribal region, where many Taliban militants are believed to have fled to avoid an earlier military offensive in nearby South Waziristan.
The Pakistani military launched its offensive in Orakzai to hunt Taliban insurgents. So far, nearly 100 militants have been reported killed in the region since Thursday.
On Friday, five soldiers were killed when dozens of militants stormed a military checkpoint in Orakzai. At least 32 suspected militants were killed when troops launched a counter-attack.
Elsewhere in the northwest, authorities on Saturday found the bodies of six people who had been shot dead in the Kurram region along the Afghan border. The six were kidnapped a few days ago.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.