Islamabad, Aug 19 (Xinhua) Pakistani troops in an operation Sunday targeting two suspected militants’ compounds killed 15 militants, mostly Uzbeks, an army spokesman said.
Security forces backed by helicopters raided the militants’ hideouts near Mir Ali, a major town in North Waziristan tribal region, bordering Afghanistan, killing 15 militants, military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told Xinhua.
“(There were) no casualties from the security forces,” Arshad said.
He told Xinhua that the operation started around 5 a.m. (GMT 0000) and ended at about 9 a.m. (GMT 0400) Sunday.
Violence in Pakistan’s northwestern frontier areas has escalated since July and a series of bombing attacks against security forces deployed have caused over 300 deaths.
Armed tribals in North Waziristan on July 15 unilaterally scrapped a peace deal reached last September with the government and threatened to launch more guerrilla-style attacks unless security forces would pull out from the checkposts there.