PESHAWAR: At least 36 of the 40 killed during the air strikes in the North Waziristan tribal region on Monday night and Tuesday were foreign fighters, security sources told Dawn.com on Wednesday.

Thirty-three Uzbeks and three Germans were among those killed during the air strikes which also injured at least 15.

Important commanders were also among those killed in the onslaught. These include Wali Mohammad and Asmat Shaheen. Maulvi Farhad Uzbek and Shaheen Betini were also among those killed.

The strikes appeared to be a tit-for-tat response to the militant bombings in Bannu and Rawalpindi. But security officials said the strikes were carried out on the basis of intelligence reports.

Witnesses said the air attacks forced scores of families to flee to adjacent settled areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

32 militants killed in Tirah valley offensive

Meanwhile, security forces claim to have killed about 32 militants in the Tirah Valley as the fighter jets targeted militant hideouts in various parts of the mountainous region.

Fighter jets pounded militant position in Tora Waila, Darota area of Kokikhel area of Tirah valley. Official sources claimed that five terrorist hideouts were destroyed and more bodies were also being retrieved from the rubble.

Unconfirmed reports said that the chief of the Pakistani Taliban in Orakzai Agency, Hafiz Saeed, was among those killed in the strikes. The reports could not be independently verified. Neither the political administration nor militants have yet confirmed the reports.

Reporters have no access to the strategic mountainous region so the exact number of casualties could be confirmed from independent sources.