Pakistan army launches ground offensive in NW
Iran Press TV
Mon Jun 30, 2014 1:26PM GMT
The Pakistani army says it has launched a ground offensive against pro-Taliban militants in the country's northwest.
The ground assault, which is the second phase of an operation against militants in the North Waziristan tribal area, started on Monday after two weeks of airstrikes.
The military said in a statement its forces had discovered underground tunnels and bomb-making factories in Miranshah, the capital of North Waziristan.
"After the evacuation of all the civil population, a ground operation commenced in and around Miranshah early morning today," the statement said, adding that infantry troops and a special service group carried out a house-to-house search of the town.
According to the army, around 15 militants were killed in the initial ground advance.
The Pakistani army kicked off the offensive against militant hideouts in the volatile tribal region on June 15, but has mostly limited its tactics to airstrikes.
The operation followed a raid by the pro-Taliban militants on Karachi's Jinnah International Airport on June 8, in which more than 30 people were killed.
On June 10, militants carried out another attack on a training center outside the airport in Karachi. However, Pakistani security forces rushed to the scene and managed to promptly repulse the assault.
Meanwhile, the statement noted that 376 militants were killed during the first 15 days of the offensive. Nearly 20 troops also lost their lives in the operation.
The offensive comes as the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said on June 26 that more than half a million people in Pakistan have been displaced due to the military operation in the North Waziristan region.
MR/AB
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
