**The Pakistan army has started moving troops and artillery towards the Taliban militants’ stronghold in South Waziristan, local officials say.**They told the BBC that 30,000 troops backed by tanks were moving in on the stronghold of Hakimullah Mehsud, the new head of the Pakistan Taliban.
They are moving from the north, the east, and the west.
A curfew was imposed in the region before the offensive began, after several Taliban attacks in recent days.
Troops were moving from the northern town of Razmak, between North and South Wazirstan; from Jandola in the east; and from Shakai in the west.
They were reported to be moving towards Makeen, Spinkai Raghzai and Tiarza.
Nearly all communications have been jammed.
There has seen a huge army presence on the road between Tank and Dera Ismail Khan, says the BBC’s Islamabad correspondent Shoaib Hasan, near South Waziristan.
On his way to South Waziristan, he passed several army convoys on the road.
There has been no comment from the Pakistan military yet.
The army has been massing troops near the militants’ stronghold for months.
Pakistan’s government has been under considerable pressure from the US to tackle militancy there.
North and South Waziristan form a lethal militant belt from where insurgents have launched attacks across north-west Pakistan as well as into parts of eastern Afghanistan.
South Waziristan is considered to be the first significant sanctuary for Islamic militants outside Afghanistan since 9/11. It also has numerous training camps for suicide bombers.