North Waziristan: 14 terrorists killed in Shawal blitz

One soldier died in IED attack in South Waziristan

PESHAWAR: At least 14 terrorists were killed in fresh air strikes in the thickly forested Shawal Valley of North Waziristan on Saturday. Meanwhile, a soldier was killed and four others were wounded in a bomb attack in neighbouring South Waziristan Agency. 

“In precise aerial strikes in Shawal, 14 terrorists were killed today,” the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a brief statement without giving details. The death toll could not be independently verified as the conflict zone is remote and off-limits to journalists.

Officials say more than 2,800 militants have been killed since the launch of Operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan Agency in mid-June last year. Most parts of the region have been purged of militants and now army troops are closing in on militants holed up in Shawal Valley. The chief military spokesperson has called it the final stage of Operation Zarb-e-Azb.

In the Ladha area of neighbouring South Waziristan, suspected terrorists detonated an improvised explosive device targeting military men, officials in the local political administration said. One soldier was killed and four were wounded in the attack. The ISPR did not confirm the IED blast.

It was the second deadly attack on the military in the Ladha area in less than a week. A couple of days back three soldiers were killed in a terrorist attack on a military checkpoint. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 30^th, 2015.