Pak choppers kill 9 militants in country's northwest

Security officials say Pakistani helicopter gunships have carried out strikes against a militant training facility in the country's northwest, killing nine insurgents.

The officials say the military launched the attack Saturday after confirming reports about the presence of militants at a compound in the village of Thal in the Hangu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provice.

They spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to the media.

It was the third such strike in recent days.

On Wednesday and Thursday, officials said, Pakistani aircraft killed 20 suspected militants in the country's troubled North Waziristan and Khyber tribal regions.

The strikes follow a breakdown in negotiations between the government and the Pakistan Taliban earlier this week.