Islamabad, August 17 (RHC)-- Pakistani military fighter jets have pounded militant positions in the rugged northwestern tribal region close to the border with Afghanistan, killing dozens of militants. According to a statement released by the Pakistani Army, airstrikes were carried out on Sunday in the militant-infested Shawal area of the North Waziristan.

“In precise aerial strikes, 40 terrorists were killed this afternoon,” the military said in the statement, adding that several others sustained injuries. The airstrikes were conducted as part of a major operation against the Taliban and other insurgents, the statement further read.

The Pakistani army has been waging a full-scale operation against militant hideouts in North Waziristan since June last year, when a deadly raid on the Karachi International Airport ended the government’s faltering peace talks with the pro-Taliban militants.

According to Pakistan’s military, more than 2,800 militants have been killed over the past months.