5 militants, 1 Pakistani soldier killed in North Waziristan

Story highlights

Pakistani military launched airstrikes to "flush out terrorists" in the area

One Pakistani soldier was killed by an IED

The operation in Northern Waziristan began on June 15

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN  — 

Five militants were killed in an airstrike in Pakistan’s North Waziristan region on Saturday, according to the Pakistani military.

The military says it launched the strikes in order to “flush out terrorists” in the area’s capital, Miranshah, and the village of Boya.

One Pakistani soldier was was killed in the same region by an explosive device, the military said.

The military launched a ground offensive in the region on June 15 in order to “finish off” militants in the area near the Afghanistan border “once and for all,” Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif told CNN. Hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis have fled their homes as a result of the fighting, prompting what appears to be a humanitarian crisis in the nearby city of Bannu.

The region is known as a base for anti-government fighters – including those affiliated with the Islamist Haqqani movement.

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CNN’s Joshua Berlinger contributed to this report.