Over 300 IS militants arrested in Pakistan

Islamabad, Sep 1 (IANS) The Pakistani military on Thursday said over 300 militants of the Islamic State (IS) militant group have been arrested, including a local leader.

The IS leader for Pakistan Hafiz Omar and 309 of its members, including 25 foreigners having Afghan, Syrian and Iraqi nationalities, have been detained across the country, Xinhua news agency quoted Army spokesman Lt. General Asim Saleem Bajwa as saying.

"There is no organised presence of IS here," Bajwa said, adding that six members of the Pakistani Taliban were the first to switch loyalty to IS in January 2015 in Afghanistan and operates at the Afghan side of the border.

"The IS was born, centred and funded in the Middle East but it spread its tentacles in the entire world," Bajwa added.

Giving update on achievements of operation code-named "Zarb-e-Azb" in the tribal region of north Waziristan, he said 3, 500 terrorists have so far been killed and 992 hideouts destroyed.