20 Pakistani militants killed as hide-outs targeted

Pakistani fighter jets have bombed suspected militant hide-outs in a new assault on an Afghan tribal region today, killing at least 20 people.

Samiullah Khan, a deputy government administrator in the Orakzai tribal region, said the aerial bombings destroyed six Taliban hide-outs.

Khan said field informants had confirmed the killing of 20 suspected militants.

Pakistan's army has been bombing Orakzai for months, believing it to be a hiding place for Taliban fighters fleeing another offensive further south in the tribal belt.

The army declared victory there in early June, but violence persists.