Zarb i Azb Army claims 70pc
area of Mirali cleared in NWA
By Mateen Haider
ISLAMABAD: After clearance
of Miramshah, Boya and Degan areas from terrorists, Pakistani military on
Sunday claimed that 70 per cent of Mirali town along with its neighbouring
villages – the second largest stronghold of militants – has been cleared by the
security forces.
“Operation Zarb-i-Azb
continues to achieve its objectives and is progressing well in North
Waziristan,” a spokesman for Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a
statement.
This information, however,
could not be independently verified.
Two huge ammunition
factories with ammunition stock were recovered as house to house search
continues in the area, said the spokesman.
He said that 30 barrels
filled with explosives and chemicals used for making IEDs were also recovered
from two large underground tunnels during clearance of Mirali.
“A massive IED, weighing
5,000 kilos was recovered from Boya, and was diffused by the expert Counter IED
team of Army Engineers. Later when detonated, it shook the entire agency and
the explosion was heard as far as settled area,” said the ISPR spokesman.
He claimed that a total of
570 terrorists have been killed since the start of Zarb-i-Azb operation. 98
terrorist hideouts and 30 IED factories, three ammunition making factories and
a number of suicide bomber training centres were destroyed during Operation.
Huge cache of arms,
communication equipment, propaganda literature have also been recovered, said
the statement, adding that 34 security forces personnel have embraced shahadat
(martyrdom) during the operation in North Waziristan Agency alone.
UN agencies agree to provide
basic facilities to IDPs
Nearly a million people have
fled the offensive in North Waziristan, which is aimed at wiping out
longstanding militant strongholds in the area, which borders Afghanistan.
Tens of thousands of
families have left for the town of Bannu, close to North Waziristan, while
hundreds more have moved further afield to the towns of Lakki Marwat, Karak and
Dera Ismail Khan since the Operation Zarb-i-Azb began in mid-June.
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