Militants were trying to flee the area when army jets targeted their hideouts. <br /> <br />SHAWAL (Web Desk / Agencies) – At least 35 suspected militants have been killed in military airstrikes in Shawal area of North Waziristan, Dunya News reported on Wednesday. <br />According to ISPR, PAF jets pounded militant hideouts when they were trying to flee the area. <br />Strict security is in place to foil terrorists’ escape, ISPR reported. <br />Pakistan s semi-autonomous tribal areas on the Afghan border have for years been a hideout for militants of all stripes -- including Al-Qaeda and the homegrown Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan as well as foreign fighters including Uzbeks. <br />Jets and artillery began hitting rebel targets on June 15 to try to regain full control of the district and ground forces moved in on June 30. <br />The assault was launched after a dramatic attack on Karachi airport which killed dozens of people and marked the end of a faltering peace process with the Pakistani Taliban. <br />More than 400 militants and 25 soldiers have been killed in the assault so far, according to the military. <br />More than 800,000 people have been forced to flee from North Waziristan by the assault, with most ending up in the nearby town of Bannu. <br />There have been fears that many top militants also fled, including fighters from the feared Haqqani network, which is blamed for numerous attacks in Afghanistan
