The Pakistani Army says 25 suspected militants have been killed in air strikes on northwestern strongholds near the border with Afghanistan.

A Pakistani intelligence official said six militant hideouts had been destroyed in the strikes on October 1 some 40 kilometers from the Afghan border.

The government launched a sustained offensive last year against Pakistani Taliban militants in lawless border regions, in particular North Waziristan.

But despite the action against the militants attacking the Pakistani state, neighboring Afghanistan complains that Pakistan allows its territory to be used by Afghan Taliban fighters, battling the government in Kabul.

Pakistan denies that and has accused Afghanistan and India of backing militants fighting the Pakistani government.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP