"As regards the ongoing operation in Buner and Dir, it's 48 hours since the operation started. During the last 24 hours, 14 militants have been killed," army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told a news conference.

He said the military was trying to calculate the overall death toll.

Pakistan has already that around 70 militants and 10 soldiers were killed, while at least 30,000 civilians had fled the area.