ISLAMABAD — The Pakistani air force pounded militant hide-outs near the Afghan border on Tuesday, killing dozens of people following deadly bombings against security forces in recent days.

Elsewhere, a roadside bomb killed 20 Shiite pilgrims in a separatist province, and gunmen opened fire on workers administering polio vaccinations, killing three people.

The Pakistani government has come under heavy pressure to aggressively tackle a surge in militant violence instead of solely relying on efforts to start peace talks with the Taliban-led insurgents. The airstrikes in North Waziristan came after the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for a bomb that killed 26 soldiers Sunday when it tore through a military convoy inside an army compound.