Pakistan Airstrikes Kill 13 Militants in Tribal Area

Pakistani jets bombed insurgent hideouts in a restive tribal area bordering Afghanistan and killed at least 13 militants on Tuesday, the military said.

The strikes were carried out at Degan village, a stronghold of Taliban militants in the North Waziristan tribal district.

"Seven terrorist hideouts were destroyed and 13 terrorists were killed, including foreigners, by jet aircraft strikes in Degan in North Waziristan Agency today," a military statement said.

More than half a million civilians have fled the long-awaited offensive unleashed by the military on the tribal area last month. 

The military has vowed to wipe out the strongholds which insurgents have used to mount countless deadly attacks in recent years.

So far 399 militants and 20 soldiers have been killed in the offensive, according to the military. The area is off-limits to journalists and the number and identity of the dead is impossible to verify.

The rugged mountainous area has been a hideout for years for Islamist militants of all stripes -- including Al-Qaeda and the homegrown Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan as well as foreign fighters including Uzbeks and Uighurs.