488 soldiers, 3,400 militants killed in army operation in NW Pakistan
Xinhua, December 12, 2015 Adjust font size:
A total of 488 soldiers and 3,400 militants have been killed in the ongoing armed offensive by Pakistan army in the country's northwest tribal area of North Waziristan over the last 18 months, an official with the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military's media wing, said Saturday.
Major General ISPR, Asim Bajwa, said that at least 1914 security personnel including officials and men from Pakistani army and paramilitary troops were also injured in the operation.
He said that the military has also destroyed 837 hideouts of the militants from where they were carrying out terrorist activities.
Aiming at the eradication of local and foreign militants from the volatile North Waziristan agency, the armed offensive called "Zarb-e-Azb" (an Urdu name for the Islamic prophet's sword) was launched on June 15 last year.
Bajwa said that during the last eighteen months a phenomenal success has been achieved by the army who is currently busy in clearing the last pockets close to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
He maintained that terrorists' backbone has been broken in the operation and their main infrastructure has been dismantled.
He said that the nexus of the Taliban militants with sleeper cells has been largely disrupted while intelligence-based-operations (IBOs) are going on in the country to burst the remaining.
"During last 18 months, over 13,200 IBOs were carried out across the country in which 183 hardcore terrorists (were) killed and 21,193 arrested," he added.
The DG ISPR said that an overall improvement in law and order situation and security across the country is the fruit of the operation.
Festivities, national events, which were being repeatedly canceled over the last few years due to poor law and order situation and threats by Taliban, were celebrated in 2014 and 2015 as the successful operation has weakened the basis of Taliban.
"Support of the entire nation for its valiant armed forces and resolve expressed against terrorism post Dec. 16 Army Public School attack (in Peshawar) had been the bedrock of Operation Zarb-e-Azb," he said. Enditem