Pakistani warplanes kill 20 Taliban insurgents

Pakistani warplanes pounded militant hideouts in the northwestern tribal area before dawn on Wednesday, killing at least 20 Taliban insurgents, security officials said.

The jets targeted hideouts in the tribal Orakzai district and at least four compounds were hit, they said, in the latest surge of fighting between government security forces and Islamist militants in the Afghan border areas, the Reuters reported.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the militants retaliated on Tuesday by attacking the soldiers who were trying to hold the location, touching off another round of fighting that killed 10 troops and more than 30 insurgents, said Mr. Khan, a local government administrator. The area is home to militants loyal to Pakistani Taliban commander Hakimullah Mehsud.