Islamabad, Dec 01: The Pakistani security forces say they have killed 17 pro-Taliban militants and injured several others in the northwestern Kurram tribal region.
“The security forces launched a pre-dawn attack against the militants in Dola Ragha area of central on Monday and have so far killed some 17 pro-Taliban militants,” a senior government official told.
During the onslaught, the army also destroyed five of the militants’ vehicles, including one belonging to one of their commanders.
Heavy artillery and helicopter gunships were used to hit suspected militants in the Kurram district, said Maj. Fazlur Rehman, a spokesman for the paramilitary Frontier Corps. He said the militants arriving recently from nearby South Waziristan were the targets.
Meanwhile, a military statement said on Monday that nine suspects have been arrested during the latest round of search and clearance operations in Badama area.
According to another report, the Pakistani army has managed to kill over 600 militants in pitched battles during the six weeks since the offensive began in the South Waziristan tribal region along the border with Afghanistan. So far, seventy soldiers have also been killed.
Abbas said that the security forces would continue attacking the extremists fleeing from South Waziristan to Orakzai and Khyber Agency.
The army deployed 30,000 troops against the pro-Taliban militants in South Waziristan in mid-October and has retaken many towns in the region.
–Agencies