WASHINGTON: Maj Gen Asim Bajwa, who heads the Inter-Services Public Relations, told the NBC News that security forces had already cornered terrorist elements in North Waziristan and were now ready to mop them up.

Talking to the US channel, the ISPR chief said that the Pakistan Army had already committed over 150,000 troops to fighting the insurgency in tribal areas, compared to less than 100,000 on the Indian border.

This “reflects our resolve about how seriously we are taking this new, internal threat,” he said. “Over the years, we have cornered the terror elements...in North Waziristan. Now, all we have to do is mop them up.”

An officer of Pakistan’s 7th Infantry Division told NBC News that the Pakistani Taliban had an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 hardened fighters in North Waziristan.

Last week, senior Pakistani defence officials held a briefing in Washington for the US media and after the briefing several US media outlets reported that a military offensive in Fata was imminent.

The reports pointed out that Pakistan had already softened the targets by launching a series of air strikes at Taliban hideouts, particularly in North Waziristan.