Baku-APA. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Monday defended a major offensive against the Taliban and other militant groups in North Waziristan tribal region, saying the operation would continue till realization of its objective, APA reports quoting Xinhua.
Thousands of troops, backed by fighter aircraft and gunship helicopters, are targeting hideout of Pakistani and foreign armed groups in Waziristan.
The military on Monday said that 177 "terrorists have been killed" since the offensive started on Sunday. Most of those killed were Uzbek militants, and several members of the ETIM were also eliminated during the operation, according to the military.
The operation was launched after the rare peace dialogue faced a deadlock apparently over the continuation of the Taliban attacks and their tough pre-conditions.
An army spokesman said a roadside bomb attack killed at least six soldiers in Ghulam Khan area in North Waziristan on Monday. Three more soldiers were injured in the blast of an Improvised Explosive Device.
It is the first major attack on the Pakistan military troops who on Sunday started their biggest operation to clear North Waziristan of armed groups.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, delivering a policy statement in the parliament about the military operation, declared Pakistan would not become a safe haven for terrorism at any cost.
"My government sincerely gave peace a chance for four-and-half month but its sincerity was not reciprocated and the government had to take the decision to launch the operation as a last resort, " Nawaz Sharif told the National Assembly.
"We were talking peace, while Taliban were engaged in game of fire and blood from court in Islamabad to airport in Karachi," the prime minister said.
"The world knows we were engaged in dialogue and on the other hand our children, women and youth were being bathed in blood," he went on to say.
He said terrorism and dialogue cannot go along, adding the dialogue process was pursued with full consultation between the government and the military leadership and now the decision to launch the decisive action has also been taken through consultations and unanimity.
Nawaz Sharif said there are no differences about the operation and the dialogue process but now the dialogue chapter is closed and the entire nation including media, political parties, religious leaders and tribal people should extend a helping hand to make the operation a success.
He also urged religious leaders to play their role in promoting the Islamic values of peace, brotherhood and tolerance.
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