21 Taliban killed in Pak military assault

Pakistan's armed forces launched an assault yesterday on Taliban hideouts in the northwest tribal belt, killing at least 21 militants in firefights and bombing raids, officials said.
The operation began hours after a US drone aircraft fired two missiles into a compound in North Waziristan tribal district near the Afghan border, killing at least six suspected militants in the latest strike by the spy planes.
Pakistani paramilitary troops began operations just after midnight Wednesday to flush out militants from the outskirts of the main town in the Orakzai tribal district, senior security officials in the region said.
Rasheed Khan said the military used ground forces and fighter jets during operations in the Orakzai tribal region and cleared out three militant strongholds. One soldier was wounded.
The military has launched several recent offensives to clear Orakzai of insurgents. The region is located in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province. Its remoteness makes it difficult to independently verify reported casualties.
Orakzai is the base of Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, who officials believe was killed in a US missile strike early this year. The group insists he is alive, but has not provided any evidence.
The operation came hours after a US drone aircraft fired two missiles into a compound in North Waziristan tribal district near the Afghan border, killing at least six suspected militants in the latest strike by the spy planes.
"US drones fired two missiles on a militant vehicle parked outside a compound. At least six militants were killed and three others were wounded," a senior security official told AFP.
"The compound, being frequented by militants recently, was also destroyed in the attack," he added.
Another security official and two intelligence officials confirmed the missile strike and death toll.
Pakistani troops began operations just after midnight Wednesday to flush out militants from the outskirts of Kalaya, the main town in the Orakzai tribal district, a senior security official in the northwest city Peshawar said.