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Pakistan army operation kills 78 militants in Waziristan

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-10-19 21:06

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces killed 18 militants during the last 24 hours as the operation in the country's tribal area of South Waziristan goes successfully underway, bringing the total fatality to 78 since the launch of the offensive Saturday morning, the amy spokesman said Monday in a press briefing.

Two soldiers were also killed and another 12 injured in separate clashes in the last 24 hours, making a total of nine soldiers killed and 35 injured so far in the operation coded as Rah-e-Nijat,or path of salvation, said General Athar Abbas.

Two ammunition dumps of the militants have been blown up and one post of 12.7 mm anti-aircraft gun was vacated by militants without fighting in different areas, the spokesman said.

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Abbas said that the focus of the operation is to isolate the banned Taliban group, however, it is difficult to give any timeline to the operation, which was launched at 03:00 local time Saturday morning (2100GMT Friday) in the South Waziristan tribal agency bordering Afghanistan.

The army said that about 30,000 soldiers are in place to take on an estimated 10,000 hard-core Taliban militants in the lawless area. About 500 commandos arrived in the region on Friday.

Addressing the same press conference, Pakistan's Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said that the recent wave of attacks have been traced back to South Waziristan, the strongholds of the Taliban militants in Pakistan, adding the militants there still have option to surrender.

He said Pakistan military does not need any foreign help in the operation.

The minister said that 14,500 dislocated families in South Waziristan have been registered and most of them prefer to stay with their relatives elsewhere.

More than 80,000 civilians have fled South Waziristan in anticipation of the offensive and the United Nations refugee agency said more people are leaving this week.

The army warned that up to 250,000 civilians are expected to displace in South Waziristan.