WANA: Air strikes carried out by security forces have killed at least 31 people in the country’s volatile northwest, officials said, as an offensive against the Pakistani Taliban continues on several fronts. Warplanes bombarded the Shawal Valley on Wednesday, killing at least 17 suspected militants, intelligence officials told Reuters. Four militant hideouts were destroyed, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Abdul Rehman, a resident of the nearby village of Mana, told Reuters by telephone that he had heard the bombardment, but could not reach the targeted area to see the extent of the damage.