Islamabad: Pakistan's military says it has killed two dozen militants over the past day and is closing in on a prominent guerrilla stronghold in the mountains of South Waziristan.
A Friday statement from the military also says that two Pakistani soldiers were killed during a militant mortar attack and three more were wounded in a bombing.
It says government forces now dominate the hills above the village of Sararogha, where Taliban leaders long have operated openly.
In mid-October, the Pakistani military launched a ground offensive in the tribally controlled region, where the Pakistani Taliban are based and are believed to shelter al Qaeda fighters.
Access to South Waziristan is restricted, so independently verifying death tolls from fighting is all but impossible.
Bureau Report
First Published: Friday, October 30, 2009, 15:44