Pakistan military launch ground offensive in north Waziristan

Pakistani troops, backed by air power, on Thursday launched ground operation against militants hiding in the mountains in North Waziristan tribal region, local media reported Friday.

Taliban militants, who had fled urban areas in North Waziristan, moved to the inaccessible mountains to avoid air strikes.

Fighter jets have killed nearly 200 militants in Shawal mountains this week in a final push to clear the whole region.

On Thursday, air strikes killed 43 militants in Shawal and the nearby Gharlamai area, the army said.

"The Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif directs achievement of military objectives as soon as possible," army spokesman Maj Gen Asim Bajwa said.

Pakistani forces launched the long-awaited major offensive in North Waziristan in June last year and have killed nearly 3,000 militants so far.

The operation was launched against the outlawed Tehrik-e- Taliban Pakistan and several other armed groups, including the Haqqani Network and remnants of al-Qaeda who had been using the region as their main bases.