PESHAWAR: Forty suspected terrorists were killed when military planes bombed militant hideouts in North Waziristan tribal region on Sunday.

Inter Services Public Relations, the military’s media wing, said in a statement that security forces engaged in the ongoing Operation Zarb-i-Azb carried out precise aerial strikes in Shawal area of North Waziristan, leaving 40 terrorists dead. The mountainous area lies along the Afghan border which is considered the last bastion of local and foreign militants.

The ISPR said there were reports that many terrorists had also been injured in the air strike.

However, official claims about casualties could not be verified through independent sources.

Operation Zarb-i-Azb was launched in June 2014.

Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif during his visit to North Waziristan on Aug 12 said that Zarb-i-Azb had entered its final stages and militants had been squeezed into small pockets.

He said these pockets would be eliminated very soon. He had also vowed that supporters and financers of terrorists would not find any place in the country and would ultimately meet their justified end.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2015

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