"This is a startlingly high ratio which even the Taliban would find hard to sustain. But how accurate is the figure? There is a widening credibility gap now opening between observers and commentators and the occasional on-the-ground source – and the government," it said in an editorial.

The "uncomfortable reality" is that there is no clear idea of how many Taliban have been killed nor the precise status of the ongoing operation, the paper said, adding the Taliban still hold Mingora as well as Kabal, Matta, Kanju, Venaibaba, Namal, Qambar, Fizagath, Tiligram and Chamtalai.

"The town of Peochar, where they are headquartered, is also under Taliban control. This is not a picture that speaks of retreat and defeat, more of a force holding their defensive positions despite air and ground bombardment," it said.

"If the majority of Taliban fatalities are caused by artillery and airstrikes rather than by infantry – then who goes in and counts the bodies afterwards? And who buries them? Where?" the newspaper asked.