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22 of 30 militants killed in Waziristan operation were foreigners

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Army on Sunday raised the number of militants killed in a raid on a training camp a day earlier to more than 30, mostly foreigners including Arabs, Uzbeks and local fighters who also took part in attacks inside Afghanistan, AP reported.

Twenty-two Arabs, three Uzbeks and seven local tribal militants linked with Al Qaeda and the Taliban were among those killed in the attack, a senior Pakistani security official said on condition of anonymity.

Pakistani security forces backed by helicopter gunships struck the militant facility before dawn Saturday in the North Waziristan town of Drub Lokai, a tribal region near the Afghan border.

Initial reports on Saturday put the death toll at 15-20 militants.

“It was a highly successful operation,” said Maj Gen Shaukat Sultan, the Pakistan Army spokesman.

The security official said the slain militants had been involved in attacks in Afghanistan and had launched rocket attacks and roadside bombings against Pakistani troops in North Waziristan. The camp itself had a firing range. Pakistani forces had been monitoring the militants’ activities for several days before launching Saturday’s strike as the fighters were preparing to leave in pickup trucks, the official said.

Among those killed was the purported militant commander, identified only as an Arab by the name of Abu Nasir, the official said. No further details were available on either the victims or their nationalities.

The official said the number of Arabs killed was the largest in any one attack inside Pakistan.

The fate of the bodies was unclear, with different officials saying they were taken to a hospital in North Waziristan or hastily buried by other militants.

Sultan said the attack was conducted solely by Pakistani troops and did not involve American forces as reported by Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, which quoted unidentified sources saying that US war planes may have carried out the strike.

Federal Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said no civilians were killed during the operation against militants in North Waziristan, Online reported. agencies

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