PARACHINAR, Pakistan – A government official says Pakistan's army has killed at least nine suspected militants in a northwest tribal region near the Afghan border.
Mohammed Yasin says the military used helicopter gunships to destroy three militant hide-outs in the Orakzai area early Friday.
Many Pakistani Taliban fighters are believed to have fled to Orakzai since the army launched a major offensive against them in the South Waziristan tribal region in October.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has also hinted the army will pursue a full-scale offensive in Orakzai.
The U.N. says around 40,000 people have already fled the region.
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