RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: A total of 2,763 terrorists while 347 Pakistan army officers and soldiers have so far been killed in the volatile North Waziristan tribal region since June 14 last year when the Pakistan military launched a full-fledged operation ‘Zarb-e-Azb’ in the area to end militancy in the country.
On the completion of one year of Zarb-e-Azb, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Saturday issued the casualty figures occurred during the operation, saying that significant achievements have been made in the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) especially in North Waziristan and Khyber agencies.
The ISPR said that the military operation Zarb-e-Azb has moved to last few pockets close to the Pak-Afghan border. It said that so far 2,763 terrorists have been killed, 837 hideouts destroyed and 253 tons of explosives recovered during the last one year of the operation.
It said that terrorists’ communication, infrastructure and sanctuaries have largely been cleared as a result of Zarb-e-Azb.
The Pakistan military’s media wing said that 9,000 intelligence based operations were carried out in the tribal areas, apprehending thousands of terrorists and their abettors.
The ISPR further said that 218 hard core terrorists were also killed in cities when the operation against militants were expanded to urban areas.
Moreover, it said that 18,087 weapons including machine-guns, light machine guns, sniper rifles, rocket launchers and AK-47s were seized from terrorist hideouts in North Waziristan alone.
The ISPR also said that the as a result of Zarb-e-Azb, some other noteworthy successes were also achieved which included improvement of security environment in Pakistan, arrival of foreign dignitaries including the Chinese President Xi Jinping to Pakistan, launching of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the revival of international cricket in Pakistan with the Zimbabwe tour.
It also expressed the resolve to continue the operation Zarb-e-Azb to make Pakistan a terror free country.
On June 14, 2014 the Pakistan armed forces began a joint military offensive ‘Zarb-e-Azb’ against various militant groups including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Jundallah, al-Qaeda, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and the Haqqani network in North Waziristan agency as a renewed effort against militancy following an attack on Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.
