The Pakistani Army claimed advances in its eight-day-old offensive in the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan on Sunday, while the militants’ chief warned of more terrorist attacks around the country unless the military halted the assault.

In a call from an undisclosed location, Pakistani Taliban chief Mehsud told an AP reporter, “We have not suffered any significant losses in Waziristan.” He threatened to turn Pakistan into “another Afghanistan or Iraq” unless the assault stopped. This came a day after the military announced the capture of Kotkai, Mehsud’s hometown.

Most homes in Kotkai had been converted into bunkers and the town had hosted a training camp for suicide bombers, said army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas. He did not comment on Mehsud’s threat. The town lies on the way to the militant base of Sararogha, and an army statement said troops had captured two key fronts between Kotkai and the base and a significant mountaintop.

Over the past three weeks, the Taliban have carried out a string of bombings and attacks across the country, killing about 200 people. On Sunday, a suicide bomber blew up a car packed with explosives on the highway near Jhelum city, police said, killing a patrol officer. The car was to target Lahore.