ISLAMABAD: Clashes between Taleban fighters and the army in Pakistan's northwest tribal belt intensified yesterday, as rebels fired rockets and the military launched fresh airstrikes, officials said.
Up to 21 people are reported to have been killed as fighter jets pounded the strongholds and hide-outs of feared warlord Baitullah Mehsud, holed up in the lawless region where the military are steeling for a full-scale offensive. Security forces say they are wrapping up an eight-week campaign against militants in the northwest Swat Valley and have opened up a second front against Taleban chief Mehsud and his network along the Afghan border.
Security officials said Pakistani fighter jets targeted four villages yesterday in South Waziristan where Mehsud's militants are believed to be hiding.
