ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- As many as 30 al-Qaida militants were killed in a series of airstrikes on their camps by the Pakistani military early Tuesday, an army spokesman said.
Army spokesman Maj.-Gen. Shaukat Sultan said the strikes took place in the tribal area of South Waziristan near the Afghan border. However, he said, "no high-value target was believed to be" among those killed, the BBC reported.
Sultan said the raids were based on intelligence militants were holed up in five mud-walled compounds.
Witnesses said between as many as 10 people survived the helicopter gunship attacks with injuries, but no other details were immediately available.
The attacks came hours after U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Kabul, Afghanistan, for talks about the situation. U.S. and NATO commanders claim Pakistan has been allowing al-Qaida and Taliban militants to move freely across the porous border.
The senior U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Lt.-Gen. Karl Eikenberry, said the number of cross-border attacks last month was 200 percent higher than the same period a year ago, but did not give precise figures.
