PESHAWAR, September 1, 2010: The death toll from Pakistani air strikes on militant hideouts in a northwestern tribal area on Wednesday rose to 55, with reports of some civilian deaths, security officials said.

“Militants were using civilians and their families as human shields and there could be some civilian casualties but we do not know how many,” a senior security official said, confirming the new toll in the Tirah valley.

Two military and an intelligence official also confirmed the incident and the death toll, while local government officials said about a dozen civilians