By DPA,
Islamabad : Pakistani jet fighters pounded Taliban targets in the troubled north-western region near the Afghan border Monday, killing at least 12 militants, officials said.
The airstrikes took place in the Bajaur tribal district, where government forces in March declared victory after a six-month offensive against the Taliban.
“Jets strafed suspected militant hideouts in the Mamund area, destroying several houses,” a duty officer of the local administration said. “We are still waiting for casualty figures.”
However, an intelligence official in the region said at least a dozen militants were killed in the bombing raids.
The aerial attacks in Bajaur came as Pakistani troops are awaiting a final go-ahead to launch a ground offensive in the South Waziristan tribal district, a key Taliban bastion littered with Al Qaeda sanctuaries.
Security forces are already attacking selected Taliban positions in Waziristan using jets and artillery. Authorities have also encouraged the formation of pro-government militias and blocked key routes in the district before mounting a full-fledged operation.
Pakistani officials say a blistering offensive is inevitable, with analysts saying that it might come soon, especially after the weekend terrorist attack on the Pakistan Army headquarters in the garrison town of Rawalpindi.
Ten militants, dressed as soldiers, struck the army headquarters Saturday. They were intercepted by guards at the gates but five of them sneaked into one of the compound’s buildings, taking 42 officials hostage.
Commandos stormed the besieged building early Sunday and rescued 39 hostages, but three were killed by militant fire, according to the military.
Major General Athar Abbas, the army’s chief spokesman, said eight soldiers and nine militants were killed over the weekend while the leader of the attackers, Aqeel, was wounded and captured.
Aqeel, a former military staffer, is believed to have been involved in several high-profile assaults, including the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in the eastern city of Lahore in March.
The US, which wants Islamabad to crack down on the Taliban holed up in the border regions near Afghanistan, has expressed serious concern over growing militancy in the lone nuclear-armed Islamic state.
Despite those concerns US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Sunday expressed confidence that the Pakistani government and military were able to maintain control over the country’s nuclear weapons.