ISLAMABAD : A top militant commander allied with the dreaded Haqqani network is said to be among 30 militants killed in airstrikes by Pakistani forces on a compound in the country’s restive northwest where the terrorists were holding a meeting.
The top militant commander, Hafiz Gul Bahadur, had a peace agreement with Pakistan forces since 2006 and was never targeted until the apparent change in game plan after the launch of major offensive against militants in North Waziristan tribal district in June.
Bahadur was closely linked with the Haqqani network and spent years in North Waziristan before fleeing the area after the operation was launched.
Military warplanes over this weekend targeted a compound in Datta Khel area where about 30 commanders of Gul Bahadur’s Shura Mujahideen North Waziristan were having a consultative meeting, civil and military officials said.
Almost all of them were either killed or injured, the officials told the Express Tribune.
On record, officials confirmed the death of top commanders like Maulvi Sadiq Noor, Akhtar Mohammad, aka Akhtar Jan, and Shera. However, they wouldn’t confirm the death of Gul Bahadur saying “investigations are ongoing”.
According to the military’s statistics, over 1,200 militants, including foreign fighters, have been killed in Operation Zarb-e-Azb that started on June 15.
The military has made it clear on several occasions that the operation is indiscriminate and targeting all local and foreign militant groups present in the region.
Besides being a stronghold of Hafiz Gul Bahadur, Datta Khel also hosts a large number of foreign fighters, including Al-Qaeda fugitives. (PTI)
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