PESHAWAR: At least 28 militants have been killed as jet fighters struck militant hideouts in the Shawal tehsil of North Waziristan, the ISPR stated.

An ISPR press release said that six militant hideouts were destroyed in the strikes. The ISPR also said that the dead militants include local and foreign fighters.

The claims however could not be verified from independent sources.

Most of the militants from Miramshah and Mir Ali have escaped to the Shawal valley which stretches across both North and South Waziristan Agency.

Former spokesman of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP) Ehsanullah Ehsan, when contacted by Dawn.com, said that the claims made by the military are exaggerated.

Ehsan claimed the jets were bombing civilians who were being cited as "terrorists killed". This information could not be independently verified.

The media has no access to the agency, making it difficult to verify the claims of either the military or militant sources.