PESHAWAR: At least five militants were killed and several militant hideouts destroyed Wednesday in a military operation by Pakistani security forces in South Waziristan tribal region, officials said.

Gunship helicopters pounded several militant hideouts of the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Sanzela village, located east of South Waziristan’s main town of Wana. Sources said several bunkers and compounds in use by militants were destroyed.

Six suspected militants were also reported to be injured in the operation.

Military sources said the operation commenced at first light of day and was carried out through the evening.

South Waziristan is one of seven regions in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), governed by tribal laws. An extremist insurgency led by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) plagues the region, which is close to the porous Pak-Afghan border, while the area is known to be infested with militants, including the al Qaeda, the Taliban and several other armed extremist organisations.

Reliable casualty figures are difficult to acquire in the tribal areas, which are largely off-limits to reporters, because of security worries and government restrictions.

The TTP have killed thousands of soldiers, police and civilians over the past few years, declaring war on the government to get it to break ties with the United States and establish Islamic law throughout the country.