Air Strikes in North Waziristan leave 70 militants dead

[Edevelop]

MIRANSHAH: Jet planes bombed hideouts of suspected militants in North Waziristan early on Wednesday, killing 30 militants and injuring 25 others, Express News reported.

The aerial bombing was carried out in various areas of the agency including Miranshah and Mir Ali.

According to military sources, these militants were involved in several attacks on security forces.

A curfew was imposed in the area for an indefinite period, military sources said.

The sources further added that several hideouts of militants were also destroyed during the air strike.

The decision to carry out the air strike was reportedly made during a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held on May 20. The meeting was attended by top civil and military leadership, including Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. According to the official statement, the security situation in regional and national context was discussed during the meeting.

Previous bombings

On April 24, jet fighters had bombed suspected militant hideouts in Bara tehsil and Jamrud areas of Khyber Agency, killing at least 35 suspected militants and injuring 14 others. The operation was the first time the military is known to have used air strikes against militant hideouts since the TTP announced a ceasefire on March 1 to help peace talks.

On February 27, gunship helicopters had carried out shelling in tehsil Kulachi, FR Dera Ismail Khan in which three suspected militants were killed. This was the first time that the Pakistan military had conducted shelling in the settled area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

At least 30 militants perished as warplanes pound their hideouts on February 25 in the South and North Waziristan, according to military officials. The airstrikes mainly took place in Datta Khel and Shawal areas of North Waziristan where militant training facilities and compounds are said to be located.

On February 23, airstrikes were carried out in the remote Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency in which security forces killing at least 38 militants, including key commanders. Six hideouts were also destroyed, they had added.

Just a day earlier, on February 22, security forces had carried out shelling on militant hideouts in Thall sub-district of Hangu, killing at least nine insurgents.

On February 19, at least 30 suspected insurgents were killed and several others got injured as military jets and gunships had bombed their hideouts in the North Waziristan and Khyber agencies.

Bombing in North Waziristan leaves 30 suspected militants dead – The Express Tribune

 

[Edevelop]

N Waziristan blitz kills 50 suspected militants

MIRAMSHAH: Shelling by the Pakistan Army's gunship helicopters and fighter jets in the early hours of Wednesday killed at least 50 suspected militants and injured another 80, some critically, in several parts of North Waziristan tribal region, DawnNews reported.

The sources said that militants bases in Mosaki, Zara Mela and Esorti viallges in Mir Ali tehsil were targeted, which had left scores dead and injured while the targeted operation was also carried on parts of Agency Headquarters Miramshah.

According to sources, more fatalities were expected due to the strikes.

Sources added that the shelling by gunship helicopters and jets continued for an extended period in the area, and mortar fire was also witnessed.

Pakistan Army's Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR) sources have so far confirmed that around 32 militants including some key commanders and foreign militants have been killed in the assault.

The military sources also claimed that the precision strikes carried out on intelligence reports, killed the militants involved in terrorist activities in Peshawar, Bajaur, Mohmand agencies and other areas.

The huge operation came two days after kidnapping of a Chinese tourist and the return of Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif from Afghanistan.

On April 17th the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan had announced that it was not extending its ’40-day-ceasefire’, but said it would keep the dialogue option open provided the government took steps indicating ‘clear progress’ on its two key demands.

Later the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on National Security (CCNS) in which it was decided that the peace talks process with the Taliban would continue on a slow place based on a wait and see policy.

The attacks on suspected militant hideouts carried out by security forces had been witnessed from time to time.

After the end of ceasefire, the attacks by the suspected militants continued arbitrarily, specially targeting security forces.

Also read: IED blast in Mohmand tribal region kills one, injures five others

Terrorist attacks were often followed by retaliation from the armed forces in the form of airstrikes on various suspected terrorist sanctuaries.

The security forces had for the first time launched an attack on the militants’ hideouts in the mountainous Bobar area of South Waziristan tribal region on April 29, after a bomb blast had claimed lives of three security personnel, including an army officer.

The Taliban infighting was another issue which hogged the spotlight and had also thrown the government and Taliban negotiations into a hiatus. Two factions of the TTP, the umbrella grouping for disparate militant groups, have been locked in bloody clashes since at least March.

In the wake of these events the United States recently renewed pressure on the Pakistan government to act against safe havens of terrorists in its tribal areas.

N Waziristan blitz kills 50 suspected militants - Pakistan - DAWN.COM

 

[RAMPAGE]

Looks like TTP is going to be history pretty soon.

 

[MM_Haider]

Seems negotiations are on their nadir... Keep it up PAF!

 

[Edevelop]

Seems negotiations are on their nadir... Keep it up PAF!

Had there been no peace / negotiation card there wouldn't be any infighting between Talibs. All hail to government for using all options, including this targeted operation. Jo bc bach gai hai on ko be maro !

 

[Sugarcane]

After enjoying 6 years of idiot Kyani now these p!gs are facing music. Keep bombing sh!t out of these baboons. Rest in Piss

 

[FNFAL]

Good Job. Hopefully no innocent civillians have been hurt. Few lines from the original article :

There were reports of some civilian casualties including women and children but the security official did not confirm them.

Independent verification of the toll and identity of the dead was not possible as journalists are not allowed to enter the area

 

[Gryphon]

1st LD: 80 militants killed in NW Pakistan's air strike

Xinhua, May 21, 2014

Over 80 militants were killed and several others injured in an overnight operation launched by Pakistan army in the country's northwest tribal area of North Waziristan on Wednesday, local media reported.

Urdu TV channel AAJ said that army helicopters launched an air strike in several areas including Miranshah, Mir Ali and Boya towns of North Waziristan, a restive tribal region located at the Pakistan-Afghan border.

A number of hideouts possessed by suspected militants were targeted and destroyed in the air strikes carried out by army jets and helicopters.

All entry and exit roads to the targeted areas were closed following the operation and the political administration imposed curfew in the area.

All high school and college examination that were scheduled to be held in the area on Wednesday were also canceled.

Identities of the killed and injured militants have not been determined yet, but local media quoted unknown sources as saying that the targeted people were involved in attacking forces' convoys in tribal areas.

Media reports quoted residents as saying that several houses were destroyed in the massive operation by army and many people are feared to be trapped under the rubbles which may further raise the death toll. Endi

1st LD: 80 militants killed in NW Pakistan's air strike - China.org.cn

 

[Areesh]

TTP should understand one thing. There dream of ruling Islamabad is all over. No you cannot rule Islamabad. So it is better to live like a insan ka bacha and a peaceful citizen or else there is nothing in this world that can stop from being turned in ashes.

 

[Muhammad Omar]

Good Job PAF may they rest in Hell.... Bang em all

 

[Jazzbot]

Good riddance. Any details of key targets or killed leaders?

 

[Pandora]

80 TTP SOBs dead. This calls for celebrations.

 

[jaunty]

Hopefully no innocent civillians have been hurt.

You can't selectively kill terrorists alone in such large scale bombings on villages. Collateral damage will be there unless they were terrorist only villages, which is unlikely.

 

[Farooq]

You can't selectively kill terrorists alone in such large scale bombings on villages. Collateral damage will be there unless they were terrorist only villages, which is unlikely.

You are right that collateral damage can always be harmful to fighting these terrorists.

However, the Pak army has a mandate from the religious leaders and general public to decimate these TTP cockroaches,

The only person against this operation is the harami ganga PM and wahabis

Had there been no peace / negotiation card there wouldn't be any infighting between Talibs. All hail to government for using all options, including this targeted operation. Jo bc bach gai hai on ko be maro !

Stop spreading lies and rumors.

The ISI orchestrated the infighting between the TTP factions.

 

[PiyaraPakistan]

You are right that collateral damage can always be harmful to fighting these terrorists.

However, the Pak army has a mandate from the religious leaders and general public to decimate these TTP cockroaches,

The only person against this operation is the harami ganga PM and wahabis



Stop spreading lies and rumors.

The ISI orchestrated the infighting between the TTP factions.

What about IK?