Air strikes in Bannu killed at least 24 suspected militants hiding in their north-western hideouts on Monday, claim…
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“Ground operations in Shawal, Waziristan, begin”, the Inter-Services Pulic Relations (ISPR) spokesman Major General Asim Bajwa announced via Twitter on Thursday night.
Many militants in the region are believed to have fled to rugged mountainous regions in other parts of North Waziristan to escape government strikes.
“Twenty-eight terrorists were killed in Gharlamai area and another 15 were killed in Shawal in precise aerial strikes”, the military said in a statement.
The Pakistan military intensified Zarb-e-azab offensive launched in June last year in militants’ stronghold of North Waziristan, after the deadly Taliban attack on an army-run school in Peshawar in which 150 people, including 136 students, were killed.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has long been combating a home-grown insurgency for over 10 years following the late 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan.
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Pakistani security officials said almost 2,900 militants have been killed so far, as the military has successfully cleared more than 90 percent of North Waziristan of militants, Shanghai Daily reported.
