Fighter jets kill 18 suspected militants in NW Pakistan after death of 2 soldiers

Jets kill 18 suspected militants in NW Pakistan

PARACHINAR, Pakistan — A government official says fighter jets pounded militant hide-outs in northwestern Pakistan, killing 18 suspected fighters.

Jahanzeb Khan, a local administrator, says the attacks Sunday targeted militants in the Orakzai tribal region who had fled from an army offensive last year in nearby South Waziristan.

Khan says two soldiers were killed in Orakzai on Saturday night when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb.

Nasim Shah, an administrator in the neighboring Kurram tribal area, says militants also opened fire on a passenger vehicle Sunday, killing two women and wounding four other people.

Shah says the militants carried out the attack because they were frustrated by their inability to muster support in Tabertan village, where the shooting occurred.