(PTI) At least 130 militants have been killed in a major crackdown by the Pakistan army against the local Taliban in the country's troubled Bajaur tribal region, officials said today. The militants were killed during the army operation in the region in the past two days, officials told TV channels.They said at least 30 militants were killed today when security forces used artillery to target Taliban positions in three different areas in the region bordering Afghanistan.
Nearly 100 militants, including foreign fighters, were killed in fighting yesterday. Six security personnel were also killed over the past three days, taking the death toll among the troops to over 30, officials said.
The Inter-Services Public Relations said that around 580 militants have been killed since the operation was launched in Bajaur last month. TV channels put the death toll at over 700. More than 300,000 people have been displaced by the fighting while hundreds continue to flee the region.
Ground forces backed by artillery, tanks, gunship helicopters and F-16 fighters launched the operation against the local Taliban in Bajaur Agency, one of Pakistan's seven semi-autonomous tribal areas, six weeks ago. Officials said the army and paramilitary Frontier Corps had succeeded in recapturing several strategic locations from the Taliban, including the town of Loisam.