Pakistan planes bomb militant strongholds as US drones prowl

Pakistani aircraft bombed militant strongholds in a northwestern region yesterday while US drones prowled the sky over another militant outpost on the Afghan border, a military official and residents said.

Pakistani forces launched offensives against al Qaeda and Taliban militants in the northwest in August and the government says hundreds have been killed.

But at the same time, US forces have stepped up strikes on militants on the Pakistani side of the border, angering Islamabad and straining relations between the allies.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of staff who arrived in Pakistan last night, said this month he was not convinced Western forces were winning in Afghanistan and he was "looking at a new, more comprehensive strategy" that would cover both sides of the border, including Pakistan's tribal areas.

Six cross-border US strikes into Pakistan this month, including a bloody ground assault, have infuriated Pakistan and a military spokesman said yesterday aggression across the border would be confronted. Pakistani security officials said on Monday firing by Pakistani troops forced two US military helicopters to turn back to Afghanistan after they crossed into Pakistani territory, although the US and Pakistani militaries denied it.

Pakistani aircraft bombed three areas in the northwestern region of Bajaur yesterday as ground troops searched house-to-house for militants, a military spokesman said.

"They have constructed underground bunkers and, along with foreign fighters, are putting up stiff resistance. Troops are clearing each and every house in these areas," said the spokesman, Major Murad Khan.