Pakistani jets pound militant areas

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Pakistani military planes pounded militant hideouts in South Waziristan for the second straight day, killing several people, military officials said.

CNN, quoting the military and a local Taliban leader, reported eight people died in the Wednesday attacks in Gorgoray. The network quoted Ahmed Ullah, a Taliban leader in North Waziristan, as claiming all those killed were civilians, including the father of militant commander Nur Wali.

Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, quoting sources, reported 17 people died, including militants and non-combatants, when two planes hit militant positions in the Saam, Khasura, Spinkai, Gorgoray and Tangi Bazay areas in the lawless tribal region, reported to be the hideouts of the Taliban, al-Qaida and other foreign militants.

The Pakistani military is preparing for a major ground assault in South Waziristan, where Baitullah Mehsud, the Pakistani Taliban leader, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in August. The group is now led by Hakimullah Mehsud.

The airstrikes are part of the military's plans to destroy the hideouts before the assault begins, CNN reported.

In the latest of the escalating Taliban violence in Pakistan, its militants were blamed for Saturday's attack on the army's headquarters in Rawalpindi and taking dozens of hostages. The siege left 23 people dead, including nine militants.

Dawn reported no date has been announced for the start of the ground offensive but quoted Interior Minister Rehman Malik as saying it was "imminent."