Suspected militants in northwestern Pakistan opened fire on a military helicopter Wednesday, slightly wounding one of the country's top military commanders.

Pakistani security officials said Major General Javed Iqbal was airborne in the mountainous Swat Valley when gunfire from the ground hit his helicopter and wounded him in the leg. Officials said Iqbal was not seriously injured, and the helicopter was able to continue on its flight.

Iqbal is one of Pakistan's commanding officers in the northwest, a region known for harboring domestic and Afghan Taliban groups as well as al-Qaida militants.

Pakistan's military said last year that its offensive against the Taliban in 2009 cleared Swat of militants, but sporadic violence has continued there.

The military also has been battling against Islamist militants in several other northwestern regions along its border with Afghanistan.