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64 militants, 5 troops die in fighting, says Pakistan Army

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, March 6, IRNA
Pakistan-Military-Operation
The Pakistan military said on Sunday that a total of 64 militants were killed in two days of clashes with security forces in the country's tribal region.

Army spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan told a news conference that five soldiers were also killed and 10 more injured in fighting in North Waziristan region.

Sultan said that the local administration had now re-taken control of government buildings earlier controlled by militants in Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan.

The spokesman confirmed the migration of local people from the region to safe places as tension still prevails in the region.

He confirmed sporadic firing in Miranshah Sunday afternoon and early this morning. However, he said there was no firing during daytime.

The militants had challenged the government writ and the security forces had to use force as action became necessary, he said.

He said the militants had occupied the government buildings, including the telephone exchange.

They forced the people to close shops.

They were bent on firing at the army camp at Miranshah, he said.

He said the militants also fired on the security forces from compounds they had earlier occupied.

The militants used rockets and heavy weapons, he added.

He said 25 militants were killed in Miranshah and 21 others were killed in Mir Ali, another major town in the region.

The figures are not fixed and could be more.

"I am not in too much hurry to say about the figures.

I am not sure how many are foreigners were killed but they are mixed," he said.

He said the militants had vacated the government buildings and the government had taken control.

Regarding civilian casualties, the army spokesman said that the militants were firing from the buildings where they had taken positions.

"In this situation, civilian casualties cannot be ruled out." He said that the compounds of two local clerics and facilitators of the militants were targeted, but "we don't know about the result." He said the clerics referred to were Maulana Abdul Khaliq and Maulana Sadiq Noor, who were said to be local facilitators of the militants.

Sultan said the operation against the militants "became important when the militants challenged the government's writ."
He vowed that militants in the area will be "confronted and eliminated."
Asked about residents leaving Miran Shah, Sultan said "they will go to safer places."
"Such things happened in South Waziristan in 2004 but later they returned," he added.

He said that militants continue to come and go from Afghanistan.

"Our deployments are more than the other side.

"When Afghan national army is fully on the ground and there would be more deployments, the situation will improve on this side of the border," Sultan said.

2020/235/2321/1414