Pakistan army sent dozens of takfiri Taliban terrorists to hell

Air strikes and ground clashes between Pakistani troops and armed takfiri nasbi groups of Taliban in the northwest FATA area have left 3 soldiers martyred and 34 takfiris dead, the military has said.

The army operation centred on the village of Datta Khel in the North Waziristan tribal district, where the military has been mounting an offensive against armed takfiri terrorists group strongholds since June.

“During a search operation seven terrorists were killed in Datta Khel. Three soldiers including an officer also embraced martyrdom,” a military statement said on Sunday.

Four soldiers were wounded in an exchange of fire, it added. A security official also confirmed the incident but told the AFP news agency that the number of troops wounded in the attack was higher, estimating at least 11 soldiers had been injured.

Ahmadullah Ahmadi, a spokesman for Hafiz Gul Bahadur, the leader of a faction of outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the deaths. He was unhappy with the military offensive in North Waziristan.

“We carried out this attack because the army has established new check posts here,” Ahmadi told the AFP news agency in a telephone call.

A separate military statement said Pakistani jets bombed hideouts of armed groups in Datta Khel on Sunday, killing 27 fighters. Security officials have described the village as a stronghold of armed groups. It is 40km west of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan.

Pakistan’s semi-autonomous areas have long been a hideout for armed takfiri groups of all stripes – including al-Qaeda and the homegrown TTP – as well as foreign fighters such as Uzbeks and Uighurs. It was not possible to independently verify the casualties as media are banned from the area.