Pakistan Anti-Taliban Airstrikes Kill At Least 43 In North Waziristan As

The Pakistani army has been carrying out a major military operation in North Waziristan since June 2014 to eliminate local and foreign militants.

A Pakistani F-16 fighter jet performs in-flight maneuvers.

Army Chief General Raheel Shairf directed armed forces operating in Shawal to attain their objectives at a brisk pace on Thursday, reported Dunya News. General Raheel lauded the ideal air and ground forces coordination, he said.

Security officials say that the fleeing militants are now hiding in the rugged mountains to avoid airstrikes.

“Twenty-eight terrorists were killed in Gharlamai area and another 15 were killed in Shawal in precise aerial strikes”, the military said in a statement. Now, after having removed large number of hideouts of militants from a large swathe, the authorities have vowed to boost operations both in the border regions and across the country.

Since May, the military has stepped up operations in the deeply forested ravines of the Shawal Valley – which straddles North and South Waziristan agencies along the border with Afghanistan – and softened militant targets in the valley through continued airstrikes.

They also say more than 3,000 fighters have been killed while as many as 400 soldiers have also died during offensive-related activities.