WANA, Aug 21: Fighter planes and helicopter gunships carried out strikes on militants' positions in South Waziristan on Saturday. Officials said that troops renewed their assault in the volatile region in response to continued night time attacks by militants on security forces and military installations in the area.

Eyewitnesses said that two F-7 planes and several helicopter gunships bombed militants' positions in the forest-covered Kip Sar, Bosh Naraia and Zawara valleys near the Afghan border, believed to be safe hideouts for attackers.

Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan, the director-general of Inter Services Public Relations, said that PAF planes and helicopters flew over the area, but not necessarily for carrying out strikes.

"Planes can fly for collecting intelligence or any other purpose," Maj-Gen Sultan told Dawn by phone from Islamabad.

He said that security forces operating in the area targeted suspected locations to flush out 'miscreants' hiding in Santoi, Mantoi and other areas from where they fired rockets on military installations.

"This is in response to miscreants' attacks, which caused casualties to the security forces and civilians," the ISPR chief said.

Troops were using precision weapons to avoid civilian casualties, he added.

Witnesses said that fighter planes and helicopters started bombardment at about 8am, which continued for more than an hour. There was no report of any casualties.

The Shakai valley residents said that militants hiding in forests also targeted planes with gunfire. "Thick smoke billowed from the high peaks," they said.

The ISPR chief claimed that three militants had been killed during three days in the mountainous area of South Waziristan. They were killed during an encounter east of Raghzai.

An official source said that one of the dead had been identified as Uzbek.