PESHAWAR: The military offensive against the Taliban militants in the restive tribal areas is progressing successfully and all types of terrorists will be eliminated without exception.
Talking to media persons here Wednesday, Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa, Director General ISPR said the armed forces have cleared Mir Ali, Miranshah and Razmak areas of North Waziristan from the militants and clearance operation was now being carried out beyond Dattakhel. “You people would have been hearing about recent airstrikes these days…the air raids are being conducted in Dattakhel area,” he said.
Ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb is in progress against all kind of terrorists in which over 1,100 militants have been killed so far, Bajwa emphasised. “The action would be taken indiscriminately against each militant no matter which group he belongs to,” the DG ISPR said.
On a query, he lamented the fact that Kabul has not cooperated the way they should have to root out terrorists in Kunar, Nooristan and other areas of Afghanistan where Fazlullah and other groups have established their camps. Responding to another question, the military spokesman said that no timeframe can be given at this stage as to when Operation Zarb-e-Azb would end.
He said that about 132.5 tons of explosives have been recovered from NWA in addition to 2000 Klashnikov, 6000 rifles and more than 12000 of other weapons and 1.9 million rounds. He pointed out that more than 2500 intelligence based operations were carried out across the country against terrorists in which a number of terrorists were killed or arrested.
Major General Asim Bajwa said after the NWA operation there had been a noticeable decline in terrorist activities in the country and similarly after the Khyber-1 operation, there has been reduction in acts of kidnappings, blasts and extortion in Peshawar. He said that the Army is destroying explosives that cannot be safely recovered.
