| Security forces to regain the control of Bajaur region by mid-March, Inspector General of Frontier Corp Major General Tariq Khan said on Monday. Major General Tariq Khan, who has described Bajaur as a " centre of gravity" for militancy in the region, told a foreign news agency that militants had to be removed from two valleys in the region. During the interview at the Frontier Corp''s headquarters in historic Balahisar Fort, in the northwestern city of Peshawar, Khan received word that his forces had taken the strategically important village of Barchina. Â"It means that Charmang is now in our hands," he said, referring to a valley leading to Afghanistan. He said only two more valleys remained. He foresaw the offensive continuing until mid-March, but added: "These are not deadlines, they''re judgments." He said he was forced to carry out an offensive in neighbouring Mohmand tribal area after militants launched a major attack on his forces last month. Khan said his forces had eliminated several middle-tier militant leaders but that "we should have finished these operations much earlier". The delay in completing was due to a particularly severe winter and tensions with India in the aftermath of an attack on the Indian city of Mumbai by Pakistani militants last November. Khan denied a report in American daily that 70 American military advisers were in Pakistan training the army and paramilitary forces. |