40 militants killed in Pakistan operation

North Waziristan – one of the seven semi-autonomous tribal regions in Pakistan – has been a battleground between the army and the Taliban since June 2014 following a full-scale military onslaught that has killed around 2,900 suspected militants.

Gen. Raheel Sharif, the army chief, who visited the region last month, said the operation code-named Zarb-e-Abab is in its final stage.

According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the terrorist were killed in North Waziristan’s Shawal Valley. Security officials say that over 90 percent areas have been cleared of the militants. “On intelligence information, the Pakistan Air Force fighter jets pounded the sanctuaries of the militants in the remote mountainous Shawal Valley and killed 40 terrorists”, a senior security official told The News.

According to a statement released by the Pakistani Army, airstrikes were carried out on Sunday in the militant-infested Shawal area of the North Waziristan. They say that the fleeing militants are hiding in the rugged mountains to avoid airstrikes. The military operation has also displaced one million tribesmen from North Waziristan.

The Pakistan Army has restored peace in Waziristan after which many local and multinational oil and gas companies are interested to invest heavily in this tribal area, said Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha, leader of the CNG sector organization. It said that the killing of 40 terrorists has been confirmed and verified.