Pakistan PM: South Waziristan Offensive Successful, Ongoing
He says Taliban militant strongholds have been captured and a large quantity of weapons seized
Photo: AFP
Pakistan's prime minister says the military's offensive in the northwestern tribal region of South Waziristan is ongoing and so far has been successful, with Taliban militant strongholds captured and a large quantity of weapons seized.
Yousuf Raza Gilani backtracked on comments he made in Lahore earlier on Saturday, in which he said the military campaign was completed and troops could now shift their focus to the nearby Orakzai tribal region.
The prime minister later told reporters in the eastern city of Karachi that the South Wazirstan offensive was continuing, and he could not give a timeframe on when it would end.
Mr. Gilani said the government will chase militants if they take refuge in other places like Orakzai, where the Pakistani Taliban leadership is believed to have fled from South Waziristan.
Pakistan's military says some 600 Taliban militants and 80 soldiers have been killed in the South Waziristan operation since it was launched two months ago.
The United Nations says more than 40,000 civilians have fled Orakzai in the weeks since the offensive began.
The operation also prompted a series of retaliatory bombings that have killed hundreds of people across the country.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials have identified Saleh al-Somali as the senior al-Qaida operative they believe was killed in a drone attack in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday.
U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they suspect al-Somali was responsible for planning terrorist attacks in the United States, Africa and Europe. His death has not been confirmed.
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani announced that the military operation targeting Taliban militants based in the  tribal region is now over, after nearly two months.

He commented that the military is now focusing on the nearby Orakzai tribal region, in order to pursue the Pakistani Taliban leadership that is believed to have fled there from South Waziristan. There recently have been heavy artillery and air strikes in the area.

"The operation in South Waziristan is over. Now there are talks about Orakzai," Gilani said earlier today to reporters in a televised speech

In mid-October, Gilani ordered Pakistan's military to conduct the offensive, known as Operation Rah-e-Nijat or "Road to Deliverance."

Military officials say more than 600  members and some 80 soldiers have been killed in the operation near the Afghan border. These numbers have not been independently verified because, except for a few military-organized trips, the military has largely closed the area to journalists and aid agencies. The United Nations reported that about 40,000 of people have fled the region, and need humanitarian aid.

The Pakistani military has said the goals of the offensive were to clear Taliban-controlled areas and force the group's leaders to take refuge in scattered villages. Once that was achieved, the military said it would be easier for the army to conduct intelligence-led operations to capture or kill these leaders, including Pakistani Taliban chief .

Pakistani officials have blamed Mehsud's organization for a series of high profile attacks across the country that has killed more than 500 people since the beginning of October.