At least 32 suspected terrorists were killed and three militant hideouts were destroyed by army’s helicopter gunships in remote area of Bangidar in North Waziristan in a major encounter, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday.
“During the fighting, 23 explosive-laden vehicles and four ammunition dumps were also destroyed early in the morning,” said the ISPR statement. These claims, however, could not be independently verified as journalists have limited access to the restive tribal agency.
Military operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched by the Pakistan Army on June 15 following a brazen militant attack on Karachi’s international airport and failure of peace talks between the government and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) negotiators.
Nearly a million people have fled the offensive in North Waziristan, which is aimed at wiping out longstanding militant strongholds in the area, which borders Afghanistan.