ISLAMABAD: Pakistani government air raids have killed up to 45 militants and their family members in hideouts in the northwestern Khyber region on the Afghan border, security officials said on Wednesday.

The strikes targeted militants in their stronghold, the Tirah Valley, on Tuesday night.

"We have reports that 40 to 45 terrorists were killed," a security official told Reuters.

Taliban militants often deny official death tolls of militants.

A security official said those killed included families of the militants who had fled military offensives in the Swat Valley and other northwestern regions.

"Some of the families were living in the vicinity of these hideouts and they were also among the dead," he said, adding he did not know how many non-combatants were among the casualties.

Another security official confirmed the incident.

Pakistani forces have stepped up air strikes in Khyber and adjoining Pashtun tribal lands in recent months against activists who fled military offensives in the Taliban strongholds of Swat and South Waziristan bordering Afghanistan last year.

In April, up to 50 members of a pro-government Pashtun tribe were killed in an air raid in Tirah after they were mistaken for Taliban, prompting Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Kayani to apologize to the tribe.

Support from Pashtun tribes is vital for the Pakistani army because it needs more cooperation and intelligence on the ground to fight the militants.

Khyber is a key route for U.S. and allied convoys carrying supplies for troops fighting militants in Afghanistan. Fighters frequently attack these convoys, forcing the United States to look at developing alternate routes.

BDST: 11:16 HRS, September 1, 2010