Kotkai, 20 October (AKI) - At least 20 militants were killed early on Tuesday by Pakistan's military on the fourth day of an army ground offensive to gain control of militant strongholds in the volatile South Waziristan region, bringing the total death toll to at least 80.

The Pakistani army said it had secured the town of Kotkai, a Taliban stronghold and dropped leaflets urging local tribesmen to turn against the militants.

In North Waziristan, however, at least six militants were killed and 11 others were injured in the town of Rah-e-Nijat. Army personnel is being supported by gunship helicopters and jet planes.

However, the death toll could not be independently verified, as both Pakistani and foreign journalists are not allowed within South Waziristan.

Because of the fighting, more than 100,000 civilians have fled the lawless tribal area as fighting continues to intensify.

Pakistani prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani said Pakistan was determined to deliver a ‘decisive blow’ against the Taliban in South Waziristan.

About 28,000 soldiers are battling an estimated 10,000 hard-core Taliban, including about 1,000 Uzbek fighters - renowned for their fierceness - and some alleged Arab Al-Qaeda members.

The militants have had years to prepare their bunkers in South Waziristan, an inhospitable terrain of arid mountains and sparse forests cut through by dried-up creeks and ravines.

The army expects the operation to be its toughest test against the militants, and there is the risk that Afghan Taliban factions elsewhere in South Waziristan and in North Waziristan could join those in the combat zone.