Pakistani fighter planes have bombed suspected Taliban hideouts in the
tribal region of North Waziristan, killing at least 32 people,
military sources have said.
"Confirmed militant hideouts were targeted
early morning today in North Waziristan
through precise aerial strikes," a senior
military official said on Wednesday.
"There are reports of 32 terrorists killed in
strikes including some important
commanders."
The official did not disclose names of the
commanders killed in the strikes.
An intelligence official in North Waziristan told
the AFP news agency the strikes were carried
out in Miranshah, the main town of North
Waziristan, and the Mir Ali, Datta Khel and
Ghulam Ali areas.
There were reports of some civilian casualties,
including women and children, but the security
official did not confirm them.
Independent verification of the toll and
identity of the dead was not possible as
journalists are not allowed to enter the area.
Al Jazeera's Asad Hashim, reporting from
Islamabad, said the aerial strikes come three
days after the Pakistan Taliban chief Mullah
Fazlullah released a video in which he vowed
that his group's fight would continue until
either the imposition of Islamic law across
Pakistan, or the martyrdom of its fighters.
In the video released on Sunday, Fazlullah
called upon his group's suicide bombers and
fighters to prepare themselves to take on the
army.
The latest attack comes weeks after the
Pakistani Taliban formally ended a ceasefire
called to promote talks with the government
aimed at ending a seven-year insurgency.
