Pakistan aircraft struck suspected insurgent hideouts in South and North Waziristan, where the military says it is using air raids to lay the groundwork for a full-scale assault against Pakistani Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud.
Pakistan has offered a large reward for information leading to the capture, dead or alive, of Mr Mehsud, who is holed up in South Waziristan and who has been blamed for some of the worst attacks in the nuclear-armed country.
About 2,000 people have died in bombings since July 2007 and the US has put Pakistan at the heart of its war against al-Qaeda and efforts to stabilise Afghanistan.
'At least seven militants were killed after jet fighters pounded their hideouts in Saam village of South Waziristan,' a security official told reporters.
'Three houses, one school occupied by militants and a Taliban office, were targeted in the air strike,' he added.
In North Waziristan, five rebels were killed when helicopters shelled their hideouts in the town of Madda Khel in retaliation for an ambush which killed 12 soldiers.
Overnight, 15 Afghan-bound Taliban fighters were killed in a gun battle with tribal region of Kurram, which falls outside direct government control.
At least three civilians were killed in the village of Kaloosha, about 17km west of Wana, the main town in South Waziristan.
In Buner, where Taliban militants advanced towards Islamabad two months ago, a bomb exploded, killing two and wounding at least eight.
