<p>Pakistani fighter jets resumed air strikes in North Waziristan on Monday, a day after the army announced the start of a major military operation to flush insurgents out of the volatile region bordering Afghanistan.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Military sources said combat aircraft pounded targets in the region's Shawal sector, killing at least 21 militants.<br /><br />Independent confirmation or other details were not immediately available in a region where journalists are not allowed to operate freely.<br /><br />The army has imposed an all-day curfew and turned off mobile phone services to undermine the insurgency and restrict people's movements, leading to food shortages in some places.<br /><br />Expecting an escalation of violence, two-thirds of families have fled from the ethnic Pashtun region, residents said, many heading for neighbouring Afghanistan, where they have relatives.<br /><br />"We have packed up everything and are ready to leave as soon as the curfew is lifted," said Ethasham Khan, a resident of the regional capital of Miranshah, its usually bustling streets empty of people and traffic.<br /><br />The curfew will be relaxed in the next couple of days to allow residents to leave the area, a security official said.<br /><br />On Sunday, Pakistan sent troops, artillery and helicopter gunships to North Waziristan in a long-expected military operation seen as a response to a deadly insurgent attack on its biggest airport a week ago.<br /><br />For now, ground troops - now numbering some 80,000 in North Waziristan, according to military sources - have not been involved in direct military action, leaving F-16 combat jets to conduct air strikes.<br /><br />It was also unclear how long officials expect the operation to last in a region of forbidding mountainous terrain that has historically never been subdued by any government.<br /><br />In a telling detail, the operation is called Zarb-e-Azb in Urdu, or "Strike of the Prophet's Sword".<br /><br />TIGHT SECURITY<br /><br />The all-night attack on Karachi airport by a band of highly trained Uzbek fighters all but destroyed prospects for peace talks with the Taliban militants, who are fighting to topple the government and impose a strict Sharia-based theocracy in the nuclear-armed nation.<br /><br />Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who preferred peace talks, has been under pressure from army hawks as well as the United States to launch a major operation, and the announcement of a full-on offensive once again means the army gained the upper hand.<br /><br />Sharif, who has not publicly commented on the operation, was due to address parliament later on Monday.<br /><br />After the Karachi attack, public opinion also appears to have swung in favour of a military operation, even if military action in North Waziristan means a higher risk of revenge attacks by the Taliban outside the tribal region.<br /><br />"Operation at last!" The Nation daily said in a front-page headline.<br /><br />Security is visibly tighter in the capital, Islamabad, as well, with street patrols by paramilitary Rangers and police. In Lahore, the cultural capital, police have added checkpoints.<br /><br />Islamabad's central Kohsar market, a shopping and dining spot for foreigners and rich Pakistanis, was all but deserted as the operation got underway on Sunday afternoon.<br /><br />The Taliban and ethnic Uzbek fighters holed up in North Waziristan - home to some of Pakistan's most feared militants and al Qaeda commanders - have both claimed responsibility for the June 8 commando-style attack on Karachi airport.<br /><br />The Pakistani Taliban are allied with Afghan insurgents of the same name but operate as a separate entity, uniting dozens of smaller Jihadist groups based in the tribal areas.</p>
<p>Pakistani fighter jets resumed air strikes in North Waziristan on Monday, a day after the army announced the start of a major military operation to flush insurgents out of the volatile region bordering Afghanistan.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Military sources said combat aircraft pounded targets in the region's Shawal sector, killing at least 21 militants.<br /><br />Independent confirmation or other details were not immediately available in a region where journalists are not allowed to operate freely.<br /><br />The army has imposed an all-day curfew and turned off mobile phone services to undermine the insurgency and restrict people's movements, leading to food shortages in some places.<br /><br />Expecting an escalation of violence, two-thirds of families have fled from the ethnic Pashtun region, residents said, many heading for neighbouring Afghanistan, where they have relatives.<br /><br />"We have packed up everything and are ready to leave as soon as the curfew is lifted," said Ethasham Khan, a resident of the regional capital of Miranshah, its usually bustling streets empty of people and traffic.<br /><br />The curfew will be relaxed in the next couple of days to allow residents to leave the area, a security official said.<br /><br />On Sunday, Pakistan sent troops, artillery and helicopter gunships to North Waziristan in a long-expected military operation seen as a response to a deadly insurgent attack on its biggest airport a week ago.<br /><br />For now, ground troops - now numbering some 80,000 in North Waziristan, according to military sources - have not been involved in direct military action, leaving F-16 combat jets to conduct air strikes.<br /><br />It was also unclear how long officials expect the operation to last in a region of forbidding mountainous terrain that has historically never been subdued by any government.<br /><br />In a telling detail, the operation is called Zarb-e-Azb in Urdu, or "Strike of the Prophet's Sword".<br /><br />TIGHT SECURITY<br /><br />The all-night attack on Karachi airport by a band of highly trained Uzbek fighters all but destroyed prospects for peace talks with the Taliban militants, who are fighting to topple the government and impose a strict Sharia-based theocracy in the nuclear-armed nation.<br /><br />Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who preferred peace talks, has been under pressure from army hawks as well as the United States to launch a major operation, and the announcement of a full-on offensive once again means the army gained the upper hand.<br /><br />Sharif, who has not publicly commented on the operation, was due to address parliament later on Monday.<br /><br />After the Karachi attack, public opinion also appears to have swung in favour of a military operation, even if military action in North Waziristan means a higher risk of revenge attacks by the Taliban outside the tribal region.<br /><br />"Operation at last!" The Nation daily said in a front-page headline.<br /><br />Security is visibly tighter in the capital, Islamabad, as well, with street patrols by paramilitary Rangers and police. In Lahore, the cultural capital, police have added checkpoints.<br /><br />Islamabad's central Kohsar market, a shopping and dining spot for foreigners and rich Pakistanis, was all but deserted as the operation got underway on Sunday afternoon.<br /><br />The Taliban and ethnic Uzbek fighters holed up in North Waziristan - home to some of Pakistan's most feared militants and al Qaeda commanders - have both claimed responsibility for the June 8 commando-style attack on Karachi airport.<br /><br />The Pakistani Taliban are allied with Afghan insurgents of the same name but operate as a separate entity, uniting dozens of smaller Jihadist groups based in the tribal areas.</p>