Pakistan air raids in North Waziristan 'kill militants'

Thousands of people have fled the region amid fears of a widescale military offensive against the militants

Pakistani fighter jets have carried out air strikes against militant hideouts in the north-west of the country.

Officials said as many as 100 militants were killed in the raids but this has not been independently confirmed.

The strikes were in the mountainous Dehgan area in North Waziristan, a stronghold for Taliban and al-Qaeda-linked militants.

Many of the dead were believed to be Uzbeks and other foreign fighters, officials said.

It is the second set of strikes in the region this week in response to an attack by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) on Karachi airport last Sunday.

The TTP said Uzbek fighters took part in the assault on the international airport, which killed at least 30 people.

The Taliban said the assault was in revenge for the killing of their leader last year.

"The strikes were carried out based on confirmed reports about the presence of Uzbek and other militants in the area," an official said.

Correspondents say the recent hostilities have all but destroyed a tentative peace process between the Pakistani Taliban and the government.

Pakistan has been fighting an Islamist insurgency for more than a decade, with the Pakistani Taliban the main militant grouping.

The Pakistan government began peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban in March, but there was little progress and the violence has continued.