Military figures suggest that almost 500 soldiers and 3,500 militants have been killed during a two-year operation targeting Pakistan’s Taliban insurgency. Marking the second anniversary of Operation Zarb-e-Azb, a military spokesman announced that the whole region up to the border had been cleared of militants. Alongside this, military figures suggested that 992 militant hideouts were destroyed, 253 tonnes of explosives confiscated, 7,500 bomb-making factories targeted, 2,800 mines removed, and 3,500 rockets and mortars recovered. “The militants had enough explosives to continue bombing for 15 years with upto seven bombing every day,” he said. The military has said that border management continues to be an issue, and is keen to secure the 2,600km-long border with Afghanistan to stop illegal movements.
Military figures suggest that almost 500 soldiers and 3,500 militants have been killed during a two-year operation targeting Pakistan’s Taliban insurgency. Marking the second anniversary of Operation Zarb-e-Azb, a military spokesman announced that the whole region up to the border had been cleared of militants. Alongside this, military figures suggested that 992 militant hideouts were destroyed, 253 tonnes of explosives confiscated, 7,500 bomb-making factories targeted, 2,800 mines removed, and 3,500 rockets and mortars recovered. The military has said that border management continues to be an issue, and is keen to secure the 2,600km-long border with Afghanistan to stop illegal movements.