REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, ISLAMABAD -- The Pakistan army said Saturday that the security forces had "killed 2,763 terrorists" in a major offensive launched one year ago.

During the operation launched on June 15, 2014, a total of "347 officers and soldiers embraced martyrdom," military spokesman Major General Asim Bajwa said.

The offensive code-named "Zarb-e-Azb" was started after a rare peace dialogue with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan collapsed due to an increase in terrorist attacks.

Giving details of the operation, the spokesman said as many as 837 hideouts of the militants had been destroyed and 253 tons of explosives recovered during the one year of the operation.

"Significant achievements have been made in FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) especially in North Waziristan and Khyber agencies. Terrorists' communication, infrastructure and sanctuaries have largely been cleared," he said.

The spokesman said 18,087 weapons including machine-guns, light machine guns, sniper rifles, rocket launchers, and AK-47s were seized from terrorist hideouts in North Waziristan alone.

As many as 9,000 intelligence based operations were carried out, apprehending thousands of terrorists and their abettors in other areas of Pakistan. A total of 218 hard core terrorists were killed in the cities, Bajwa said.

The army said earlier that the security forces havd cleared over 90 percent of the area, including the main towns of Miranshah and Mir Ali since the launch of the operation and the militants have now confided to only a few pockets near the Afghan border.

The outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and dozens of splinter armed groups had been almost in control of North Waziristan before the military offensive was launched.

They had been using the region as their major base and jumped-off point in their suicide attacks in Pakistan. Several would-be bombers, who were captured alive, had admitted that they had received training in North Waziristan, one of Pakistan's seven tribal regions.

The security forces had earlier defeated the Taliban militants in other tribal areas including South Waziristan, Bajaur, Khyber and Mohmand tribal regions as well as in Swat valley.

All major political parties have backed the major offensive in North Waziristan.

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