PESHAWAR-
Director General (DG) of Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) Asim Bajwa on Wednesday said that more than 1,100 militants have been killed since the inception of the ongoing military operation ‘Zarb-e-Azb’ in the tribal area of North Waziristan.
Addressing a press conference in Peshawar, Bajwa said that 100 soldiers have also been martyred in the operation launched on June 15 to purge the tribal area of foreign and local militants.
He added that 44 terrorists have been killed in operation ‘Khyber-One’ in Khyber Agency, another one of the seven semi-autonomous tribal zones of Pakistan.
He said that security forces have seized 132.5 tonnes of explosives and more than 12,000 different types of weapons during the clearance operation.
The DG ISPR did not provide any time-frame for the end of the operations and added that they would continue until the areas were declared clear.
He said its positive impact is being felt across Pakistan with a decrease in “terrorist attacks, extortion and kidnappings.”
He added that most areas in North Waziristan have been cleared and reconstruction is underway.
Speaking about the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Chief Fazlullah and his accomplices, DG Bajwa said that they have been hiding in the Afghan areas of Nuristan and Kunar but, he added, there has been a lack of cooperation from the Afghan authorities in this regard.
He added that the towers of Afghan telecommunication companies near the Pak-Afghan border are spilling signals over the Pakistani territory which is dangerous as it could aid militants in using Afghan SIMs (Subscriber Identity Modules) for correspondence.
He urged the Afghan authorities to relocate the towers from the Pak-Afghan border.
The DG further said although the attention of the armed forces was divided due to aggression by Indian personnel on the country’s eastern front, the military was capable of giving an appropriate response.
He added that despite tension at the Pak-India borders, troops deployed in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) will not be moved.
Regarding Muharram, the army spokesman said that the federal and provincial governments have sought assistance in 134 sensitive areas of the country. Army would provide assistance wherever they need us.
He appealed to the public to immediately inform law enforcement agencies if they come across any suspicious person or activity.
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