巴基斯坦稱打死至少80名激進分子
Pakistan’s military says it has killed at least 80 Islamist militants and lost seven soldiers in fierce fighting near the mountainous Afghan border.
The clashes have been taking place in the remote Tirah Valley in the insurgency-plagued northwestern Khyber tribal district.
Army spokesman Major General Asim Bajwa reported “steady progress” in the counter-terrorism operation with code name Khyber-II, saying it is aimed at clearing areas close to Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan.
The militants, officials say, belonged to the outlawed Pakistani Taliban, an alliance of extremist outfits waging an insurgency against the state. Army jets have also pounded suspected militant positions in the areas over the past two days.
A spokesman for the group claimed the army death toll is much higher. Independent confirmation of the fighting details is not possible because journalists and aid groups have no access to the conflict zone.巴基斯坦軍方說，在與阿富汗交界的山區發生激烈戰鬥，至少80名伊斯蘭激進分子和7名政府軍喪生。
戰鬥發生在反政府武裝活動頻繁的開伯爾部落地區的提拉山谷。
巴基斯坦陸軍發言人巴傑瓦少將說，反恐行動取得了穩固進展，代號“開伯爾二號”行動的目標是肅清靠近阿富汗邊界的地區
巴基斯坦官員說，被取締的巴基斯坦塔利班的一些激進分子在開伯爾地區發起了聯合攻擊行動。巴基斯坦政府軍的飛機兩天以來對該地區懷疑是激進分子目標的地點進行了轟炸。
激進分子團伙的發言人說，政府軍的傷亡大大高於政府公佈的數字。記者和救援團體被禁止進入衝突地區，有關衝突的消息無法得到獨立渠道的證實。
