Advancing Pakistani troops today surrounded and are poised to storm the hometown of Tehreek-i-Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud in country's lawless tribal region as 78 Taliban terrorists and nine soldiers were killed in fierce fighting which entered the third day today. Chief military spokesman Athar Abbas told a news conference in Islamabad that the troops have encircled Kotkai, the home village of Hakimullah and his suicide attack trainer Qari Hussain, capturing key heights around it and the area is expected to fall anytime. The Army pincers have also closed upon two other major towns, including Wana in the Taliban heartland. The security forces advance came as 18 terrorists and two soldiers were reported killed in the last 24 hours, raising the Taliban toll to 78. The soldiers are facing an estimated 10,000 Taliban cadres, including about 1,000 foreign fighters. The Army's advance has been slowed down by Taliban heavily mining the roads and strewing the entire area with roadside bombs, which they have successfully used against US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. The Pakistani military operations which are meeting stiff resistance also came up when a visiting top US general General David Petraeus today met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to discuss the operation in South Waziristan and bilateral defence cooperation.