ISLAMABAD - AT LEAST 35 Islamist militants were killed overnight in a Pakistan ground and air operation against insurgents in the north-west Swat region, the military said on Tuesday.

The army attacked militant hideouts in the Khawazakhela district of the sprawling valley, two days after another 16 militants were killed in a similar operation at a different place in the troubled region.

It was not possible to verify the death tolls independently.

Thousands of residents have fled the valley since the army intensified its operations against militants loyal to cleric Maulana Fazlullah, who is behind a bloody campaign to enforce a Taleban-style Syariah law in the region. -- AFP