DTN News: Pakistan TODAY October 27, 2009 ~ Pakistan Offensive Death Toll To 227 According To Military Spokeperson

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY October 27, 2009 ~ Pakistan Offensive Death Toll To 227 According To Military Spokeperson *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - October 27, 2009: Pakistan's military has said the death toll in a major military assault on the Taliban has risen to 227, reporting heavy losses in the battle to control a village en route to a Taliban bastion.Pakistani police officers stand guard as a man, who has been displaced from Bajur tribal region due to fighting between security forces and Taliban militants, leaves after receiving food stuff from a food distribution point of World Food Program on outskirt of Peshawar, Pakistan on Monday, Oct. 26, 2009. Thousand families are still living in Jalozai camp, which is being supported by donor agencies. Nineteen militants were killed during the last 24 hours, a military statement said, bringing the overall number of insurgents killed to 197 during what is now a 10-day ground offensive backed by warplanes and helicopters. In addition, six soldiers have been killed in the offensive around South Waziristan, where authorities say scores of Al Qaeda and Taliban-linked attacks have been masterminded, bringing the overall number of dead soldiers to 30. None of the information provided by the army is possible to verify with communication lines down and access banned to journalists and aid workers.Pakistan paramilitary soldiers patrol a street in Karachi on October 26, 2009. Pakistan partially reopened schools shut nationwide following a suicide attack on a university campus and a spike in Taliban-linked attacks in which nearly 200 people have died this month. The heaviest fighting was reported on the advance towards Taliban stronghold Sararogha after the military claimed its first major success in capturing Kotkai, the home town of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Hakimullah Mehsud. In the fight to secure Ghalai village, on the main road from Kotkai to Sararogha, six soldiers and 10 militants were killed, the military said. Troops also secured an important road junction en route to Sararogha and the ridges that dominate to the east and west. Around 30,000 troops are taking part in the offensive against an estimated 10,00 to12,000 militants in the semi-autonomous and lawless tribal belt. Relief workers say that around 200,000 people have been displaced by the fighting. Numerous previous offensives in the tribal belt have had limited success, costing the lives of 2,000 troops and ending generally with peace agreements that critics say gave the insurgents a chance to re-arm.