[Dawn] Pakistan said troops fought deadly street battles in a Taliban centre and den of Uzbek fighters on Sunday, pressing a major offensive into a third week and killing nine militants.Although the military provides the only regular information coming from the frontlines, none of the details can be verified because communication lines are down and journalists and aid workers are barred from the area.
The latest casualties reported in a military statement bring to 306 the number of insurgents and 36 the number of soldiers reported killed since the operation was launched in South Waziristan on October 17.
The district is part of the lawless tribal belt on the Afghan border where US officials say Al-Qaeda and their allies are plotting attacks on the West.
'Search and clearance operation of Kanigurram has commenced and 50 per cent of the town has been cleared,' the military said in a statement.
Troops were fighting street by street in what commanders have described as a major Tehreek-e-Taliban 'operational centre' and base for Uzbek fighters, one military official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Uzbeks are the largest group among foreign militants backing Taliban fighters in Pakistan.
On Saturday, the military reported stiff resistance from Taliban holed up in bunkers and sniper men hunkered down in towers in what is one of the largest towns in South Waziristan.
Advancing troops have massed on three sides outside Taliban strongholds Sararogha and Makin, and impounded weapons at Karama, described as an Uzbek stronghold, the military said. At Patok Narai, two soldiers and five militants were killed.
Around 30,000 troops are taking part in the offensive against an estimated 10,000-12,000 militants in the semi-autonomous region. Relief workers say more than 200,000 people have been displaced by the fighting.
Numerous previous offensives in the tribal belt have had limited success, costing the lives of 2,000 troops and ending generally with peace agreements that critics say gave the insurgents a chance to re-arm.