The Pakistani military has claimed it has killed “many” militants in the latest attacks in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, as the number of people fleeing the violence was put at 900,000.

An Inter Services Public Relations spokesman said air force jets bombarded suspected militant hideouts in the mountains of Mir Ali, the second largest town of North Waziristan and a former stronghold of Uzbek and other foreign militants, on Sunday.

Five bases and a cache of arms and ammunition were destroyed, the military said. To date more than 400 militants have been killed in air strikes and fighting since June 15, when the army launched an operation in North Waziristan to root out Tehrik e Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella organization of various Pakistani insurgent groups.

The onslaught has led to more than 900,000 residents of North Waziristan fleeing to adjoining districts, particularly Bannu, the National Disaster Management Authority said. Thousands have taken refuge in neighboring Afghanistan.

AA