ISLAMABAD (Agencies) - Soldiers entered the Taliban headquarters in South Waziristan on Friday, the military said. Soldiers have been advancing into the militant heartland from three directions and had entered the Taliban headquarters in the town of Makeen, the Army said. Today security forces have entered Makeen. A large part of the town has been cleared, the Army said, referring to Makeen as the 'base headquarters of terrorists. A senior military official in the region said troops had met little resistance. Our troops are now clearing mines and IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and moving forward, said the official, who declined to be identified. The military said 24 militants had been killed in Makeen, where Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud was killed in an attack by a US missile-firing drone aircraft in early August. Mehsuds house had been razed, the military said. Giving further details, the military said that its forces had stormed into yet another Taliban stronghold and killed 24 militants during a major ground-and-air offensive about to enter its fourth week. Today, security forces have entered Makeen. A large part of the town has been cleared while clearance operation is continuing in the remaining part, the military said in a statement. The military reported 'intense engagements in the Makeen area and terrorists 'fleeing leaving behind their weapons and ammunition. It added that 21 militants had been killed so far around Makeen and three others in Sararogha, which shot to local infamy as the operational centre of Mehsud before he was killed on August 5. Pakistan launched its fierce air-and-ground offensive into the northwest region on October 17, with some 30,000 troops backed by fighter jets and helicopter gunships laying siege to Tehreek-e-Taliban bolt-holes. So far, the military has claimed to have killed 446 militants since the operation began, with 42 troops losing their lives.