Islamabad - The Pakistani army reported Sunday it had killed 15 more Taliban members in the ongoing major offensive against the militant group near the Afghan border. Nearly 30,000 soldiers, backed by jet aircraft and artillery support, have been fighting an estimated 10,000 Taliban guerrilla fighters in the South Waziristan region for over a week.
The mountainous district of South Waziristan has turned into one of the global hubs of Islamic extremism, with hunderds of al-Qaeda- linked fighters operating from their safe havens in the areas.
A military statement on Sunday reported that government forces had secured a strategic hilltop, Tarkona Narai, in the district. The mountaintop had four strongpoints and series of bunkers.
"Besides killing four terrorists on the mountaintop itself, a fleeing terrorist's vehicle carrying eight terrorists was engaged and destroyed, killing all of them," the statement read further. One soldier died while three were injured in the intense battle.
Three more militants were eliminated when they resisted the search of a compound near Sherwangi area. The security forces recovered rockets and launchers from the hideout.
The latest casualties took the overall military-reported death toll on the militants' side in nine days of fighting to 178, while the security forces suffered 24 fatalities over the same period.
The figures cannot be independently confirmed, since the authorities have banned journalists from the conflict zone.
Pakistan has launched three offensives in South Waziristan. The troops had to retreat after heavy casualties in the previous ones, leaving the Taliban stronger than before.
The latest military action has displaced more than 160,000 people, with nearly 78,000 fleeing the war zone in last 10 days, according to the officials.
