The fatalities come hours after Pakistani troops launched a massive ground offensive backed up by air power targeting the Taliban in South Waziristan , a refuge and a power base for insurgents operating in Pakistan and along the Pakistani-Afghan border . NEW : Pakistan says troops take village of Sharif . About 28,000 Pakistani troops move into epicenter of Taliban activity . Up to 10,000 militants are in North Waziristan , officials estimate . Hundreds of thousands of civilians fleeing Taliban , U.N. refugee agency says .
NEW : Pakistan says troops take village of Sharif . About 28,000 Pakistani troops move into epicenter of Taliban activity . Up to 10,000 militants are in North Waziristan , officials estimate . Hundreds of thousands of civilians fleeing Taliban , U.N. refugee agency says .