Pakistani army kill 15 militants in Taliban base

Pakistani security forces killed 15 militants in the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan tribal agency bordering Afghanistan during the last 24 hours, the army said in a press release Monday.

The army said the miscreants raided the Boya Narai check post in South Waziristan on Sunday night and as the security forces effectively responded, 15 miscreants were killed including terrorist commander Zainual.

Two security personnel were killed and three troops were injured during the clash, said the statement.

It said the security forces also conducted a search and clearance operation in Marobi Raghzai and Zhawar Killi and recovered caches of arms and ammunition in the troubled tribal region in Pakistan's northwest.

The Pakistani Army is wrapping up a full scale military operation coded as Rah-e-Nijat, or path of salvation, in South Waziristan, where militants have safe havens and from where they planned to attack government installations.

Meanwhile in the ending operation in Swat and Malakand, the army said, three militants voluntarily surrendered to the security forces at Roringar and Devolai as they carried out a search and clearance operation in Mingora and other areas, where caches of arms and ammunition were recovered.

According to the army statistics, Pakistani security forces have killed over 600 militants since they launched the ground assault on October 17 in the South Waziristan, advancing towards the main base of Taliban militants in Pakistan. The army said that about 30,000 soldiers are in place to take on an estimated 10,000 hard-core Taliban militants in the lawless area.

The army have so far controlled major bases of militants and are consolidating their positions while large quantities of insurgents fled the tribal belt.

Source: Xinhua