Fighter jets bomb militant hideouts in North Waziristan after Taliban attacks – The Express Tribune
Residents of North Waziristan, a lawless mountainous region where many al Qaeda-linked militants are based, said
there were numerous civilian casualties (Your rats) but the army was not immediately available to comment on the operation.
“Can you hear the noise of the gunships? They are just over our heads,” Haji Jamaludin, a local resident, told Reuters by telephone from the area. “Everyone in the village is
running around with children and women looking for a safe place to hide.”
The air strikes took place as pressure grows on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to take tougher action against the Taliban following the attacks.
The Pakistani Taliban are fighting to topple the central government in Islamabad and impose strict Islamic rule in the nuclear armed South Asian nation.
“We strongly condemn this cowardly act which they (Pakistan army) carried out under cover of darkness, targeting sleeping people,” said Pakistan Taliban spokesman Shahidullah Shahid.
“If you people target innocent people in their homes, we will target you in your homes in Islamabad too,” he added.