Pakistani warplanes hit Baitullah Mehsud stronghold

Pakistani warplanes bombed a stronghold of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud in the South Waziristan tribal region on Saturday, witnesses and intelligence officials said.

Pakistani warplanes bombed a stronghold of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud in the South Waziristan tribal region on Saturday, witnesses and intelligence officials said.

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The airstrike came amid mounting expectations that the army will launch an offensive in a region long regarded as a hotbed of Taliban and Al Qaida activity, as the army enters the final stages of another offensive in the Swat valley, further to the northwest and closer to Islamabad.

"Four fighter jets bombed parts of Makeen early on Saturday but we don't know about the extent of damage or any casualties," said Mohammad Khan, a shopkeeper in the village at the heart of Mehsud territory.