ISLAMABAD: At least 23 suspected terrorists were killed when Pakistani fighter jets targeted militant hideouts in Shawal area of North Waziristan Agency on Wednesday evening, military officials claim.

A statement, issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that four militant hideouts were also destroyed through “effective and precise aerial strikes”.

The information, however, could not be independently verified as access for journalists is restricted in the area.

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The air strikes are a part of stern actions Pakistan has been taking against Taliban militants following deadly Peshawar school siege earlier in the month as the military intensified operations in the troubled northwestern tribal areas.

After the school attack that killed 150 people, mostly children, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ended a six-year moratorium on the death penalty, reinstating its use for terrorism-related cases.

The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) said the school attack by a suicide squad was revenge for the killing of militants' families in the military offensives.

The Pakistani military since June has been waging the assault against longstanding TTP and other militant strongholds in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.