Pakistani jets pound militant hide-outs, kill 8

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan — Fighter jets pounded suspected militant hide-outs in the South Waziristan tribal region on Sunday as part of ongoing operations against Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud. At least eight militants were killed, intelligence officials said.

Meanwhile, gunmen ambushed five police officers and a forestry official responding to reports of a dead body in northwestern Pakistan, killing all six, police said.

The fighter jets hit several locations in South Waziristan on Sunday, killing eight militants in one spot, two intelligence officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to media, told The Associated Press.

South Waziristan is part of the lawless tribal region along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, and top Taliban and al-Qaida leaders are believed to be hiding there, helping plot attacks on American troops across the border. Pakistan’s military has also deployed troops in the region to try to kill or capture Mehsud, who is blamed for orchestrating many of the bloodiest suicide attacks in the country.

The army is also battling militants in the Swat Valley. The government has said Swat residents who fled their homes in the fighting can return starting Monday. More than 2 million residents of Swat and surrounding districts have fled since late April.

A military statement Sunday, however, described continued reports of unrest in the valley, including a remote-controlled bomb that wounded seven tribal police officers in the past 24 hours.

A clash with militants in South Waziristan also killed a soldier, the statement said.

Taliban militants operating in the Pakistani border region often to launch attacks in neighboring Afghanistan have also frequently targeted Pakistan’s security forces.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the ambush on policemen, but authorities did not rule out Taliban militants, though other insurgent groups operate in the region.

The attack took place late Saturday in a forested area in the Mansehra district, an area believed home to several training camps for militants involved in the conflict with India over the divided Kashmir region.

A bullet-riddled body of an unknown man also was found at the scene, police officer Rashid Khan said. The gunmen also set fire to the responding police van and took the victims’ weapons, Khan said.

Also Sunday, police raided a suspected militant hide-out in the Khyber tribal region, arresting 11 men alleged to have attacked convoys carrying supplies to U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, military official Mujahid Hussain told reporters.

Associated Press writer Riaz Khan contributed to this report from Peshawar.