The Pakistani military says its forces have killed some 60 Taliban fighters during a large-scale offensive in South Waziristan, near the Afghan border. It says six Pakistani soldiers have been killed in the offensive, which began on Saturday. However, their is no independent confirmation of the casualty figures because most journalists have left the region and most telephone lines and other forms of communication are not working.

The government says the Taliban militants are surrounded and have lost some of their strongholds. Around 100,000 civilians have fled the region.

The offensive follows a series of attacks committed in Pakistan in the past two weeks by extremist Muslims from South Waziristan. The attacks have killed at least 160 people.

The Pakistani army has deployed some 30,000 troops in the offensive. They are targetting an estimated 10,000 Taliban fighters and some 1500 al-Qaeda militants.
 

Refugees flee South Waziristan
Photo by ANP/EPA