Pakistan bombs Taliban hideouts

Pakistani jets killed 16 suspected militants in bombing raids near the Afghan border Saturday, and police arrested dozens of people, security officials said, the day after Taliban militants killed 29 people in an attack on an air base.
The attack on the base last Friday was the deadliest ever militant attack on a Pakistani military installation and is likely to undermine already rocky ties with Afghanistan.
Hours after the attack, Pakistan's military spokesman pointedly noted that communications intercepts showed the Pakistani Taliban gunmen were being directed by handlers in Afghanistan.
Saturday's air force raids targeted militant bases in the Tirah Valley, which straddles the Afghan border and is a main smuggling route between the two countries, two Pakistani security officials said, according to Reuters.

--Samir--