We will strike in winter, warns Pak Taliban chief

Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud has claimed that his militants have not lost their morale due to the major military offensive in the South Waziristan tribal region and said they have "conserved" their energy to take on the army when it snows.

"We will wait till January for our offensive since we are stronger during the snowing season," said Hakimullah, who was made chief of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan after his predecessor Baitullah Mehsud was killed in a US drone attack in August.

Hakimullah said he remained confident despite the large-scale military operation targeting him and his fighters in South Waziristan Agency bordering Afghanistan.

"We have conserved our energy and have not lost our morale," he said in a phone call to CNN.

He said the local Taliban leadership was safe but did not reveal where they were taking refuge.

The army says over 600 militants and more than 60 soldiers have died so far in the fighting in South Waziristan, where 30,000 troops backed by artillery and tanks launched an offensive against the Taliban in October.

The army's figures cannot be independently verified as reporters have no access to the conflict zone.

Soldiers have secured many Taliban strongholds, including Hakimullah's hometown, but no top militant leaders have been killed or captured so far.

Hakimullah too has not been seen in public for several weeks and observers believe he may be in North Waziristan or other nearby tribal regions.

Cities across Pakistan have been hit by a deadly wave of bombings and suicide attacks since the army launched the operation in South Waziristan. Many attacks have targeted the security forces.

Militants have struck the army's fortified general headquarters and a mosque frequented by military personnel in Rawalpindi, Inter-Services Intelligence agency offices in Peshawar and Multan and police stations across the northwest.

Over 400 people have died in these attacks.