Pakistani fighter jets and helicopter gunships bombed militant hideouts in a tribal region near the Afghan border on Friday, killing 28 militants, an official said. "Security forces launched an air offensive against the militant hideouts in different areas of Mohmand tribal region and killed 28 rebels," senior local administration official Maqsood Amin told AFP.
He said 30 militants were also wounded in the operation while eight houses belonging to them were torched. The details, however, could not be confirmed independently due to a lack of independent access to the battlefield by journalists. The United States has branded the rugged tribal area, which lies outside Pakistani government control, a global headquarters of al Qaeda and one of the most dangerous place on Earth.