Pakistani troops on Sunday moved to regain control of a second key town held by Islamist militants, the military said, almost a month after a large-scale offensive was launched to flush them from their north-western stronghold.

Fighter jets bombed half a dozen hideouts used by militants linked to al-Qaeda in Mirali, a town in the North Waziristan tribal district near the Afghan border, an army statement said.

Ground troops and artillery units also moved in from three directions, a military official told dpa.

The official said jets would continue bombing the hideouts of militants in Mirali to help troops march deep into the town.

The military said last week it had recaptured the town of Miranshah after three weeks of aerial bombing and gun battles with militants, calling it the first “substantial” gain since the operation began on June 15.

Around 450 militants have so far been killed in the offensive, according to figures released by the military. The death toll could not be verified independently.

Nearly 1 million civilians have fled the region, a disaster management agency said.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered the military to eliminate Islamist militants hiding in so-called safe havens in tribal Pakistan after years of reluctance by his predecessors.

Around 50,000 Pakistanis have been killed in a decade of violence orchestrated by al-Qaeda.

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