The military stepped up operations in South Waziristan on Saturday as helicopter gunships and bombers were called out to flush militants from hideouts near the Shakai valley. Bombers pounded targets in the Slair area south west of Shakai, where militants put up stiff resistance, tribal sources told Daily Times. Helicopter gunships then cleared the area for soldiers. "There were loud explosions. The bombing started at 9:00am and continued for some time. There must have been casualties," a resident of Shakai told Daily Times.
Artillery also pounded militant targets from the Tiarzah and Zarinoor bases, residents close to the two bases said. Military spokesman Major Gen Shaukat Sultan said "a few" foreign militants had been killed and wounded, but there were no troop casualties. In a statement, the spokesman said the military launched an air and ground offensive in parts of the Shakai valley, NNI reported. "Several miscreants were killed and a few others injured when the troops launched a counter offensive in the Santoi Mantoi area north of Shakai," he said. "We have recovered the body of one suspect, who is a foreigner," he said. He did not disclose his nationality, but he is believed to be an Uzbek. "We have also recovered a machinegun, Klashnikov, hand grenade and some other weapons." He said the fresh military action had been provoked by attacks on the security forces in the last two days. The spokesman said that airplanes and gunship helicopters monitoring the activities of militants and specific targets. He added that the planes and gunship helicopters were trying to avoid civilian causalities. |