Pakistan Army confirms launch of ground offensive in North Waziristan

The Pakistan Army on Monday confirmed that it has launched a ground offensive against militants in the North Waziristan tribal region.

In a statement, the Pakistani military said the operation began early Monday in and around Miranshah, the administrative center of North Waziristan.

The government had launched a campaign of air strikes in the region on June 15, one week after militants attacked Karachi's Jinnah International Airport, Pakistan's busiest, killing at least 35 people.

According to the military, infantry and special-forces units were conducting house-to-house searches in and around Miranshah. The Pakistani military said it was also using artillery, tanks and heavy weapons against militant targets in other parts of North Waziristan.

Before the ground offensive, the military had relied primarily on air strikes to hit militant targets.

It said that underground tunnels and facilities to prepare improvised bombs had been found and cleared during Monday's ground operations.

According to information provided by the military, 376 militants and 17 Pakistani soldiers have been killed in the operation since the air strikes began.

The military said that 61 "terrorist hide-outs" had been destroyed, and that 19 militants had surrendered to Pakistani forces.

The figures couldn't be independently verified, reports the Wall Street Journal.