ISLAMABAD, June 17 (Reuters) - Pakistani combat aircraft destroyed a bomb making factory in the tribal region of North Waziristan and at least 25 militants were killed in a wave of air strikes, the military said on Tuesday, as part of a major operation against Taliban insurgents.
Pakistani fighters jets have been bombing Taliban positions in North Waziristan since Sunday when the army announced it was sending troops and helicopter gunships to the region to flush out al Qaeda-linked Jihadists.
"(The) operation in North Waziristan Agency is progressing as per plan," the army said in a statement.
"The cordon around all terrorists' hideouts including in the town of Mirali and Miranshah has been further tightened and reinforced. Last night three terrorists were killed while fleeing from the cordoned off area in Miranshah."
In its first casualties since the start of the offensive, at least six Pakistani soldiers were killed on Monday when a roadside bomb hit an army convoy just north of Miranshah, the regional capital.
The operation is seen as a response to a deadly militant attack this month on Pakistan's biggest airport in the port city. (Reporting by Aseem Tanveer; Writing by Maria Golovnina; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)
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