By Aamir Latif
ISLAMABAD
Pakistan army killed at least 33 suspected militants in airstrikes carried out in the country’s North Waziristan tribal region Monday, the military said in a statement.
The army’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations, said 18 suspected militants were killed in early morning airstrikes in the tribal agency’s Dattakhel town, while gunships targeted 15 other suspected militants later in the day in Gharlamai area.
In total, nine militant hideouts were destroyed in the strikes, the statement added.
Pakistan army launched a military operation in North Waziristan on June 15 to eliminate various terrorist groups, including the Pakistani Taliban and al Qaeda-backed militant outfits.
The army claims it has so far killed over 1,350 militants in the operation during the last three months. Around 100 Pakistani soldiers have also died in the anti-terrorist campaign.
The figures provided by the army cannot be independently verified because of the absence of free media in the affected areas.
The ongoing operation has also internally displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
Also, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said Monday the Taliban’s “command-and-control system” had been destroyed. He said the military operation would continue till the death or surrender of every militant in the area.
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