Pakistani security forces backed by helicopter gunships pounded militant hideouts in the restive North Waziristan region Friday, killing 18 pro-Taliban militants after rebels attacked a pramilitary post leaving a soldier dead.

A military operation was launched in the Datta Khel area after suspected militants attacked a Pakistani paramilitary post in the region, killing a soldier and injuring five others.

Security forces used artillery and gunship helicopters to target the hideouts of the suspected militants.

The military acted on intelligence reports indicating that militants had gathered there with a huge cache of arms and ammunitions, TV channels reported.

In another incident, a motorcyclist shot dead two persons in Tank, a major town close to South Waziristan tribal region Thursday.

The North Waziristan region has in March witnessed some of the fiercest clashes between security forces and militants since 2004, especially in the town of Miranshah and Mir Ali, in which over 100 militants have been killed while five soldiers also lost lives.