World | Pakistan
Pakistani military press ahead with offensive against Taliban
Pakistani military forces took control of a militant stronghold in the Khyber region in northwest Pakistan on Sunday as the offensive against the Taliban continued for a second day.
- Agencies
- Published: 11:09 June 29, 2008
Peshawar: Pakistani military forces took control of a militant stronghold in the Khyber region in northwest Pakistan on Sunday as the offensive against the Taliban continued for a second day.
"It has been a successful operation. No collateral damage has been reported. The writ of the government has been established," top Interior Ministry official Rehman Malik said in Peshawar. "Peshawar is totally safe. We won't allow anyone to disrupt the peace of the city," he told reporters.
A militant leader's headquarters were destroyed and suspected hideouts of other fighters were shelled as part of the first major military operation since the new government was elected.
"The situation is under control. We have destroyed at least three militant hideouts and Frontier Corps soldiers are patrolling and controlling the area," a government official said.
Meanwhile, a roadside bomb explosion on Sunday killed two soldiers in the restive valley of Swat. In a separate attack, unknown gunmen shot dead four civilians.
The Khyber region houses the Khyber Pass, a crucial road network through which supplies for Western forces in Afghanistan pass.
The operation is currently concentrated in the town of Bara, which is 15 kilometres southwest of Peshawar.
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