ISLAMABAD - Pakistani jets and attack helicopters bombed Taliban positions in a district near the capital today, the military said, in an expansion of an offensive against militants seemingly emboldened by a much-criticized peace deal.

Troops and heavy artillery also joined the operation in Buner, which follows urgent calls from the United States for Islamabad to step up its fight against the militants, who moved into the region this month from the nearby Swat Valley. They set up checkpoints, patrolled streets and warned locals to abide by strict interpretations of Islam.

The offensive will cause major strains on an already shaky peace deal in the Malakand region, to which Buner belongs. The truce has been widely viewed in the West as a surrender to militants seen as slowly expanding their grip over the nuclear-armed nation.

By The Associated Press