ISLAMABAD (AP) — Eight Pakistani soldiers were killed in a major operation against militants in the country’s Khyber tribal region Wednesday, as the army declared its four-month old push against a main militant sanctuary in another tribal region, North Waziristan, a success.
The clash with troops also left 21 militants dead and several wounded in the Spinqamar area, said an army statement issued late night.
The army also said its troops have so far killed 1,100 militants in North Waziristan. Its casualty figures could not be independently confirmed as journalists are not allowed to report from the tribal regions. Civilians have been killed in previous operations.
The army believes that militants who fled its North Waziristan operation took refuge in in Khyber.
Earlier Wednesday, army spokesman Maj. Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa told reporters in the northwestern city of Peshawar that in the Khyber operation, military jets struck several militant hideouts, 44 militants in recent days. The latest casualties occurred when troops moved to clear the Spinqamar area.
Bajwa accused neighboring Afghanistan of not providing “enough support” to the Pakistani operation and allegedly failing to take action against militants who have fled across the frontier to hide among the Afghans.
“Afghan authorities have not taken any action,” he said. “They have not killed or arrested and handed over any militants to Pakistan.”
Bajwa did not substantiate those claims but such accusations from Islamabad are common amid tense relations between the two neighbors. Afghan officials did not immediately comment on the remarks.
Bajwa said that the offensive in North Waziristan, which was launched in June, was going according to plan and that its impact is being felt across Pakistan, with a decrease in “terrorist attacks, extortion and kidnappings.”
“Most areas and roads in North Waziristan have been cleared and reconstruction is underway,” he said, adding that it was still unclear when the operation would be finished. He said troops seized 132.5 metric tons (146 tons) of explosives, thousands of weapons and a large cache of ammunition.
The tribal region was considered a sanctuary for local and foreign militant groups until the military launched its offensive there following a deadly militant attack on the country’s busiest airport in Karachi.
Bajwa said the results of the operation would have been even better if Afghan authorities had provided assistance.
He said Pakistan informed Afghan authorities that militants and their leadership fled across the border and were camped out in Afghan territory from where they were launching attacks against Pakistani troops.
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