Pakistan ? Security forces struck suspected militant hideouts in northwest Pakistan, killing 32 people, including three women, an official said today.

The attack Sunday came in the latest round of a bloody military offensive that has reportedly killed hundreds of people in recent weeks in the Bajur tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

Bajur is a suspected hide-out of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and one of the regions the U.S. fears is a safe haven for al-Qaida and Taliban fighters involved in attacks in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani military operation in Bajur comes amid tension with the U.S. over whether the Muslim nation is doing enough to root out insurgents from its territory and whether the U.S. should pursue its own unilateral strikes there.

Senior government official Iqbal Khattak said most of the dead Sunday were alleged militants but at least three were women.