Pakistan military takes media on tour of area that was once under control of insurgents

(9 Jul 2014) The Pakistani military gave domestic and international media access to the city of Miran Shah on Wednesday, one of the cities that was used by militants as an operational hub. The Pakistani military is in the process of clearing the area of insurgents. General Zafarullah Khan, head of operations, said the militants may have fled the immediate area, but "they are still present in the peripheral areas." The demolished town of brick buildings is now deserted apart from the hundreds of Pakistani military soldiers guarding the streets. The troops, led by General Khan, began a ground offensive against the military stronghold on June 30, the second phase of a long-awaited operation against militants in the North Waziristan tribal area. Khan said they knew when the leaders were in town. "We have caught some people, we have apprehended them, there are valuable information that is coming up," he said. Pakistani forces killed over 400 militants during the operation, according to military officials, adding that 17 soldiers also died. Khan said no civilians were killed in the attacks, however, due to limited access of the area, it is difficult to independently verify reports of casualties. Miran Shah and the surrounding North Waziristan region had become a major sanctuary from which militants attacked targets in Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...