Pakistani jets pound militant hideouts in northwest after Taliban bombings

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan – Pakistani officials and residents say fighter jets pounded militant positions overnight in the country's northwest following a Taliban bombing campaign against security forces there.

A Pakistani military official says 25 militants were killed in the strikes Monday night. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

But at least two residents reached by telephone in North Waziristan said civilians were among the dead.

They say some people slept in the open out of fear their homes might be hit. The two spoke on condition of anonymity fearing for their own safety.

A bomb planted in a vehicle killed 26 troops in the northwestern frontier region on Sunday while a suicide bomber killed 13 people, including eight security personnel, on Monday in Rawalpindi.