DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Pakistani jets killed 12 suspected militants in South Waziristan on Thursday, intelligence officials said.

The jets pounded suspected Taliban hideouts in four villages Thursday in Ladha and Kani Guram areas of the South Waziristan tribal region, near the Afghan border, four intelligence officials said on condition of anonymity.

Two of the officials said 12 militants were recovered from destroyed houses where they were staying. The other officials confirmed the bombing runs, but had no details of casualties.

Independent verification of the targets and casualties was not possible because the region is remote, dangerous and largely inaccessible to journalists.

Pakistan's mountainous border region with Afghanistan is home to al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders who plot attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan, which is witnessing an unprecedented level of violence against US, Nato and Afghan troops.

South Waziristan is the stronghold of Mehsud and his followers, whom the government blames for more than 90 per cent of the suicide bombings in Pakistan in recent years. The US State Department says Mehsud is a key al-Qaeda facilitator in the region.