Pakistan military said Saturday its forces have taken almost complete control of South Waziristan,the country's northern tribal region and have almost eliminated foreign militants in the area, the local news agency News Network International reported.

The officer in charge of military operations near the Afghan border said troops had smashed a network of al-Qaeda militants in the area and that a total of 306 militants have been killed since the operation was launched in March last year.

"According to our intelligence reports and now we think there is absolutely none in South Waziristan," General Officer Commanding Major General Niaz Khattak told reporters in Karavan Manza area of South Waziristan.

Khattak said that some 100 militants are believed to be hiding in the neighboring North Waziristan region.

"There would be no operation unless information about the presence of militant is received," he said.

He said militants were no longer capable of regrouping and attacking security forces, adding that "They are no more active."

And 100 foreigners, many of them Central Asians, are among those killed during the operation.

Khattak said that a total of 52 operations have been conducted against al-Qaeda linked militants and their local supporters in South Waziristan.

Despite the efforts of the military, so far no senior al-Qaeda or Taliban figure has been caught in the area and Khattak said that there is no indication of the presence of any high value target in the area.

"There is also no possibility of the presence of Osama bin Laden or any of his close aide in Waziristan," he said.

He said that Abdullah Mehsood, wanted for kidnapping Chinese engineers, is still alive and is absconding.

He said check posts will remain in the area unless the foreign militants are completely eliminated.

Pakistan has deployed about 70,000 troops to the Afghan border region in its operation against militants.

Source: Xinhua