BANNU, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani jets pounded targets in the country’s northwest on Monday as the military suffered its first casualties in a major offensive designed to root out safe havens in the volatile region.

The airstrikes are part of a long-awaited operation against foreign and local militants in North Waziristan, an essentially lawless tribal region which has served as a training base for militants and a staging point for insurgents who attack Pakistan and NATO and Afghan troops across the border. The operation started Sunday.