Islamabad, Sha'ban 26, 1436, Jun 13, 2015, SPA -- Pakistan's army said on Saturday that it had killed nearly 3,000 militants in a year-long offensive that has destroyed rebel hideouts and communication lines. According to dpa, operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched last June in the Taliban regional stronghold of North Waziristan along the Afghan border. Military spokesman Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa said in a statement that after a year of fighting rebel "strongholds, communication infrastructure and sanctuaries were largely cleared." "So far 2,763 terrorists have been killed, 837 hideouts destroyed and 253 tons of explosive recovered" as the operation moves to the last few pockets of resistance close to the Afghan border, he said. He added that "218 hardcore terrorists" had been killed in 9,000 intelligence-based operations, which also helped to arrest 1,000 terrorists and their helpers. The offensive has come at a cost to the Pakistan military with 347 personnel also killed. --SPA 18:47 LOCAL TIME 15:47 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w