ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistani troops destroyed militant training camps and seized a huge weapons cache in an anti-terrorism operation near Afghanistan, local media said Monday.
The Pakistani military reported Sunday that an operation was launched earlier this month in a hilly tribal area of South Waziristan considered a stronghold of Abdullah Mahsud, the terrorist who masterminded the October kidnapping of two Chinese engineers, Sify News reported.
Troops seized a cache of arms including 1,000 grenades, 340 landmines, 748 rockets, 56 assault rifles and a huge quantity of ammunition, the report said. They also dismantled a firing range and facilities believed to have been used for making bombs.
Since March this year the Pakistani army has conducted a series of major offensives in South Waziristan, believed to be a sanctuary for hundreds of al-Qaida-linked militants.
Military officials said troops had killed up to 40 suspected militants in the offensive since Nov. 8.
