Pakistan army fights bloody battles in Waziristan

At least a dozen Pakistani soldiers have been killed as the army opens its long-awaited offensive against the pro-Taliban militants in the volatile South Waziristan region.

12 soldiers were killed and several others injured in the first ferocious gunfights, The Daily Telegraph reported on Saturday.

Militants were reported to be offering stiff resistance as troops advanced from the north, east, and west.

Pakistan's military spokesman Gen. Athar Abbas has said that an offensive could last up to two months.

"The objective is to clear this terrorist organization from the area, who has taken over the area, turned these state institutions, organizations out and has taken the entire population hostage," the BBC quoted Abbas as saying.

The operation in South Waziristan follows weeks of air raids on militant hideouts there. The army says over 30-thousand soldiers are in place to flush out the militants.

The offensive comes after two weeks of militant attacks claimed over 150 lives in Pakistan.

The government and political party leaders have given the military full backing. Military operations have so far displaced tens of thousands of people. Those who have remained behind were kept at home by a curfew.

The Pakistani army had been preparing for a major operation in the South Waziristan region after it forced out militants from the scenic Swat valley back in September.