Jet fighters began pounding targets around 12:30am localtime, an official said, and were later joined by helicopter gunships.
"More than 20 militants were killed and at least 15 wounded. Jet fighters also destroyed militant hideouts," a security official said.
The official said 'some foreigners and a commander of the Punjabi Taliban were among those killed".
The Punjabi Taliban are a faction of the militant group that hail from the country's largest province in the east.
a government official confirmed the airstrikes and killing.