Islamabad, October 25: The Pakistani army says its troops have recaptured a strategic town from pro-Taliban militants at the start of the second week of their military offensive in South Waziristan.
On Saturday, military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told reporters at a press conference that troops had entered Kotkai on Friday evening.
“The place was a stronghold of terrorists, with a majority of households turned into bunkers,” the Reuters news agency quoted Abbas as saying.
Sources said forces backed by helicopter gunships and artillery were now clearing the surrounding rugged mountains.
Kotkai is the birthplace of Pakistani militant chief Hakimullah Mehsud, whose forces have attacked high-profile targets across the country over the past few weeks.
The town is also the hometown of Qari Hussain Mehsud, a senior militant commander who trains teenagers to become suicide bombers.
The Pakistani army has reportedly killed over 155 pro-Taliban militants in the ongoing major offensive in the region.
At the same time, a wave of militant attacks in Pakistani cities has killed nearly 200 people in less than four weeks.
—–Agencies