( CNN ) -- Pakistani troops launched a ground offensive against militants in the capital of the country 's North Waziristan area Monday , starting a new phase of a 16-day fight that has seen more than 450,000 people flee the area . Troops killed at least 15 militants as the army raided homes in the area 's capital , Miranshah , the country 's military said . This is the first major ground offensive in Miranshah since Pakistan began what was primarily an airstrike campaign against anti-government fighters in North Waziristan and other restive parts of Pakistan 's loosely governed tribal areas . The offensive , which started on June 15 , is meant to `` finish off '' militants in the area near the Afghanistan border `` once and for all , '' Defense Minister Khawaja Asif told CNN this month . The Pakistani Taliban are among the targets . The tribal areas in northwestern Pakistan are a base for anti-government militants , including those with the Islamist Haqqani movement . More than 376 militants have been killed and 61 suspected militant hideouts have been destroyed in the campaign , the army said . Three Pakistani troops were injured in Monday 's raids in Miranshah , the army said . Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes to camps in Pakistan 's nearby Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province since the campaign began , the country 's National Disaster Management Authority said . About 466,000 people , including 197,013 children , have registered at checkpoints , the agency said . Rations , including food and cooking oil , are being given to the civilians at the camps , the army said . Opinion : Exodus from Pakistan 's troubled north presents risks , opportunities .
Troops kill More than 450,000 militants in North Waziristan 's capital , the military says . 376 people have fled area since the campaign began on June 15 . 376 insurgents have been killed in June 15 of fighting , North Waziristan 's 's army says . CNN are among the targets .