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WEEKLY
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| 46 militants killed in Orakzai operation |
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Friday, April 24, 2009
by Syed Hassan Mehmood
KALAYA: At least 46 militants have been killed and 26 injured in the four-day military operation in Orakzai Agency, tribal and official sources said on Thursday.
The sources said jetfighters and gunship helicopters pounded the militants’ hideouts in Balozai area of Kalaya tehsil on Thursday at 2:00 pm, killing five militants and a civilian. However, a number of hideouts and bunkers of the militants were destroyed on Shawazar mountains. They said several government and private installations were also damaged during the shelling by the jetfighters and gunship copters on Wednesday.
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Orakzai commander Hakimullah Mahsud told reporters by phone from an undisclosed location that the TTP was not responsible for the killing of civilians. “Unless and until the government stops operations and ensures a halt to the drone attacks in the tribal areas, the TTP will continue attacking the government installations,” he added.
The residents of Dabori, Khadizai and Ghiljo tehsil have started migration to safer places in tractors, vans and carts. They complained that no camp had been set up in Hangu by the political authorities for the migrating people.
“We have no proper place to accommodate the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Hangu and request the provincial government to allot us a place for setting up a camp for the affected people,” Political Agent Orakzai Agency Abdul Baseer said, adding the political authorities had also sought funds from the central government on emergency basis for the rehabilitation of the affected people in the district.
Meanwhile, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) media cell said the security forces killed 11 militants in Orakzai Agency on Thursday after hitting the militants’ hideouts in Chapri, Ferozkhel, Khwajakhizar and Bizoti areas of Orakzai Agency.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
