FATA Situation

[araz]

US strategy would let troops chase militants into Pakistan​

PAMELA HESS



US Strategy Would Let Troops Chase Militants Into Pakistan (from The Herald )

I think this is still political chicanery. They are indirectly putting pressure on PA saying if you dont do anything, we will do so.They dont want to do so in reality as they do not have enough manpower and repurcussions of this move could be bad.PA will do their work for them and they will live on to tell the tale of how they conquered the untamable North West.
Araz

 

[RabzonKhan]

FATA inhabitants condemn militant attacks on girls’ schools

* CRSS survey reports 94% oppose militancy, 95% want their daughters to be educated
* CRSS official says minority of militants ‘hold majority of peaceful people hostage‘

By Atif Khan

ISLAMABAD: A survey report, issued on Friday, revealed that a dominant majority of roughly four million inhabitants of the tribal areas favour girls’ education and do not support attacks on CD and music shops. The inhabitants are also equally opposed to presence of the Pakistan army in FATA.

Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) conducted the survey using quantitative methodology. Residents of all seven agencies of FATA - Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram, Orakzai, Bajaur, North and South Wazirsitan – have been questioned during the survey.

Asked ‘Do militants have a right to use guns and arms?’, 94 percent respondents replied ‘No’.

The report said 91 percent of FATA residents believed the way adopted by the militant was wrong and some 86 percent feel that ‘militant activities are hurting Pakistan’.

Speaking at the launch of the survey report, Dr Farrukh Saleem, the CRSS executive director, said it was quite evident from the survey that a big majority of FATA population had been held hostage by a small minority - militants of various shades.

Tail wagging the dog: “Small minority of people (militants) has held the big majority hostage. Backed by some external forces, the minority has been carrying out insurgency in 27,220 square mile area of FATA region, which is just three percent of the total area of the country,” he said.

Saleem said FATA was being perceived as the source of instability for the rest of Pakistan and the west had been claiming that FATA was a hatchery of terror plots that targeted Europe. The Americans, he said, were convinced that FATA was a ‘clear and present danger’ to the US.

He said findings of the survey had clearly negated some general perceptions about FATA. “There is an overriding craving for education and opposition to militants as well as to the armed forces, which are currently engaged in massive operations against the militants in Swat and Bajaur,” he said.

“Interestingly, 84 percent of the respondents said ‘No’ when asked whether they consider religio-political parties as their true representatives,” he said.

”This also shows that parties like the JUI and Jamaate Islami have lost the trust of the people even in the embattled tribal regions,” he said. Around 86 percent of FATA residents believe that blowing up of music shops is ‘not fair’ and 95 percent parents want education for their daughters.

“A mere six percent think that the militants represent ‘true Islam’ while 92 percent say that militants do not represent ‘true Islam’. Two percent are unclear or refrain from commenting on this topic,” said the report.

It says 77 percent people do not welcome Pakistan Army in FATA and 84 percent replied in negative when asked, “Are religo-political parties true representatives of FATA people?”

Elaborating the report, Saleem said 90 percent of the FATA population live below the poverty line, earning less than $02 a day. He said the literacy rate in the area was less then 17 percent. Smuggling, crimes and other foul means were a source for income for the area, he said. The survey sample comprised all males and it was conducted between March 8 and May 8, 2008.

Recently, the CRSS has also compiled a research report titled ‘Causes of Unrest in FATA’.

 

[RabzonKhan]

Taliban kill three American ‘spies’ in Bajaur

KHAR: Taliban beheaded two men and shot dead a third in Bajaur on Friday after accusing them of spying on them, officials and witnesses said. The bodies of three men were found dumped by a road at Kayrala village, Bajaur, with notes saying, “These people were spying on Taliban,” a local government official told AFP. Witnesses said that two had their heads severed and the third was killed by a gunshot. Militants have killed various people after accusing them of spying. afp

 

[fatman17]

quote "CRSS official says minority of militants ‘hold majority of peaceful people hostage‘ quote.

so rabzon - what is your solution?

 

[araz]

Idont know what exactly is going on. I think this piece of newsrefers to FC rather than regular Army. I think PA should have wisened up by now and stopped soft topped trucks use in these regions. This singular step may prevent loss of life of many soldiers.
Inspite of the retreat, I think the matter should culminate in surrender of all the trouble mongers/

Todays Dawn

Troops pull out of Lowi Sam




By Anwarullah Khan

KHAAR, Aug 9: Security forces on Friday night pulled out of Lowi Sam area of the Bajaur tribal region after fierce clashes with militants. Both sides suffered heavy casualties in the three-day gunbattle.

Eyewitnesses said the situation was chaotic and the area was littered with bodies and burnt vehicles. They said the soldiers, who had been under siege for the past three days, had returned to their base in Khaar, leaving behind bodies, trucks and a large quantity of arms and ammunition.

For the first time, the troops backed by helicopter gunships and tanks, fought a pitched battle with militants in Bajaur to flush out the Taliban from the area bordering Afghanistan.

The Taliban said they had handed over 22 soldiers and bodies to tribal elders in Sadiqabad. However, a political agent told Dawn that the administration had sent officials and elders to the area for negotiations to retrieve the bodies.

Officials said that the fighting had stopped after troops left Lowi Sam, some 12kms west of Khaar.

According to a statement of the Frontier Corps’ Headquarters in Peshawar, the forces had “successfully” broken the siege and linked up with their base in Khaar.

It said the militants had suffered heavy casualties in an exchange of fire with the troops in Dhilai, near Khaar. Eight soldiers were killed and 15 others injured in the fighting, the statement added.

Sources said that paramilitary soldiers had suffered heavy casualties and lost two tanks and several vehicles loaded with arms and ammunition. They said the militants had also captured a number of soldiers and set on fire their vehicles in Lowi Sam.

An official told Dawn in Peshawar that 55 soldiers had gone missing in the Lowi Sam fighting.

The Taliban claimed that 80 to 100 soldiers had been killed and about 35 held hostage.

Tehrik-i-Taliban’s spokesman Maulvi Umar told journalists by phone from an unspecified location that 25 vehicles, including two tanks and cranes, had been captured and 10 vehicles destroyed. He said the Taliban had lost five to ten of their men.

The security forces, backed by tanks and armoured personnel carriers, had moved into Lowi Sam four days ago to take control of the area, which is considered a stronghold of the Taliban. About 200 soldiers, who entered the area, were encircled by the militants and their supply line was cut off.

Fighter jets and Cobra helicopters had heavily bombed militants’ positions to break the siege and rescue the soldiers.

Meanwhile, witnesses said that the jubilant Taliban celebrated their “victory against the forces” and announced cash prizes for their fighters. The exodus from Lowi Sam continued on Saturday. A large number of families have moved to Peshawar and the adjacent Mohmand tribal region.

 

[GHATAK]

NDTV.com: Over 100 militants killed in Pak clashes


Over 100 militants and nine paramilitary personnel have been killed in fierce fighting between security forces and the local Taliban over the past four days in Pakistan's northwestern Bajaur tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

Most of the fighting has been concentrated in the Loisam area of Bajaur tribal agency, which witnessed heavy exchanges of fire last night between the militants and security forces backed by jet fighters, gunship helicopters and tanks.

The troops launched more air strikes on Sunday in Loisam and nearby areas after the Taliban attacked convoys of the security forces.

A statement issued by the media centre of the paramilitary Frontier Corps said, "During the last four days, more than 100 militants have been killed and nine security personnel have also died."

The clashes, which began on Wednesday after the troops reoccupied a checkpost in Loisam that they had abandoned about eight months ago, marked the worst fighting with the Taliban in the tribal belt in the past few months.

The Frontier Corps on Saturday pulled back from the post in Loisam and moved to Khar, the main town in Bajaur Agency.

Reports from the region said the militants had surrounded Khar.

Hundreds of people have fled from Bajaur to Mohmand agency, Dir district in North West Frontier Province and other areas due to the fighting.

Loisam lies on the strategically important road leading from Bajaur to the NWFP capital of Peshawar. About 200 Frontier Corps troops were deployed on Wednesday to set up checkposts near the Afghan border, prompting attacks by the Taliban.

However, a statement from the Frontier Corps described the decision to pull back from Loisam to Khar as "a bold move" to break a Taliban siege.

Taliban spokesman Maulvi Omar claimed only 10 militants had died. He also said the militants had captured seven paramilitary troops and seized several vehicles and two tanks.

The claims could not be independently verified.

Eyewitnesses told the Dawn newspaper that the Loisam area was littered with bodies and burnt vehicles. They said the security forces, who had been under siege for three days, had left behind bodies, trucks and a large quantity of arms and ammunition while falling back to Khar.

Witnesses also said that the Taliban celebrated their "victory against the forces" and announced cash prizes for their fighters.

 

[RabzonKhan]

quote "CRSS official says minority of militants ‘hold majority of peaceful people hostage‘ quote.

so rabzon - what is your solution?

I have been debating this issue on another forum, here’s what I have said:

I very strongly believe that Pakistan alone will not be able to achieve much, NATO and Afghans should do more, because I think 80% of the problem lies right there in Afghanistan.

Unfortunately no one solution will completely resolve this conflict.

Here are some:

1. Border fencing and mining between Afghanistan and Pakistan’s 2,500km long border.

Karzai has opposed it, saying that “the fence will not prevent militants crossing the border, but will only separate Pashtun tribes and families”. Karzai is wrong, several other countries have successfully erected security fences to tackle terrorism and illegal migration, India has successfully erected a security fence along its border with Pakistan and Bangladesh, Israel with Palestine, Saudi Arabia with Yemen and EU with Morocco.

2. All Afghan refugees (2.5 million) must be repatriated without any further delay.

It’s a known fact that Taliban recruit many of them for terrorism inside Afghanistan.

3. Biometrics system at all border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Around 50,000 people cross the border on a daily basis through the checkpoints, so this will help check their movement.


NATO must do their part:

4. Increase their troop levels from the present 55,000 to at least 2, 00,000 thousands.

5. Increase funding and expedite the reconstruction efforts.

The status quo only benefits Taliban terrorists, the drug barons who continue their lucrative trade and the corrupt Afghan political elite.

6. Immediately eradicate the poppy fields.

The drug trade provided income for Afghan warlords, Afghan and Pakistani Taliban. In my opinion, this is the number one issue, without resolving it, Afghanistan and Pakistan’s Tribal areas (FATA) will never become stable.

7. Afghanistan must purge warlords and drug barons from the government.

8. Completely seal the Pak/Afghan border.

Controlling the border is a two way street. Pakistan has deployed more than 120,000 forces to monitor its 2,500km long border with Afghanistan. The troops have set up more than 900 check posts to prevent the cross-border movement of the terrorists.

9. Open dialogue with Taliban who are willing to lay down their arms.

Bottom-line is that we (US, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia) created this monster together and we have to work together to eliminate it.

 

[Neo]

Pakistani forces bomb houses near Afghan border​

KHAR, Pakistan - Pakistani forces bombed dozens of houses in a tribal region near the Afghan border Sunday, officials and witnesses said, in a military offensive that comes amid U.S. pressure for Pakistan to crack down on militants.

Days of clashes have reportedly killed at least 100 insurgents and nine paramilitary troops in the area, an insurgent stronghold considered a possible hiding place for al-Qaida leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri.

Details have been scarce about the military offensive in Bajur.

Sardar Khan, a local police official, said two spells of aerial bombing destroyed about 40 houses in several villages. He said bombs also struck a school occupied by Taliban fighters in Loi Sam, a village that has been a key focus of the fighting.

Two area residents, Sher Zamin and Attaullah Khan, said army planes and helicopters dropped bombs and shells, apparently on suspected Taliban positions.

Meanwhile, an Associated Press reporter in Khar, the main town in Bajur, saw Taliban militants patrolling and staking out positions on roads with rocket launchers, heavy machine guns and, in some places, anti-aircraft guns.

There is increasing pressure from the West on Pakistan's government to act against Taliban and al-Qaida strongholds in its frontier region with Afghanistan.

Pakistani officials have sought peace agreements in the border region in hopes of curbing Islamic extremists who have been blamed for a wave of suicide attacks across the country in the past year.

NATO contends the cease-fire deals have allowed militants based in the frontier region to step up attacks in Afghanistan, while U.S. officials warn that al-Qaida leaders hiding along the border could be plotting another Sept. 11-style attack on the West.

The Bajur offensive came in the wake of a militant assault Wednesday on an outpost manned by security forces. Officials said those initial clashes killed 25 militants and two troops.

Conflicting casualty figures were reported Sunday.

A paramilitary Frontier Corps statement said nine troops and at least 100 militants were killed in the last four days. But a military intelligence official placed the number of troops dead at 13. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Maulvi Umar, a Pakistani Taliban spokesman, claimed the militants had handed over 22 bodies belonging to security forces in the last three days after pleas from tribal elders.

Pakistani forces bomb houses near Afghan border - Yahoo! News

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

the use of Special Forces backed by infantry and air-support is giving these results.

Fatman sahib,

It appears the Army is not involved with infantry or SF's at this point, only the FC and the Air Force and Army Aviation with the Cobra's - that is the official position at least.

An official of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), when reached by telephone, said the Pakistan Army was not taking part in the operation, therefore, they had no details on the losses suffered by the militants.

Militants’ positions pounded in Khar

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Another point to ponder is the timing of the operation coinciding with the terrorist attacks in China, with some speculation that Uighur militants might be training in FATA/Afghanistan.

There have been reports along these lines before as well, of the presence of Uighur's, Chechen's, Uzbek's and Al Qaeda, mostly in the areas dominated by the TTP.

Whatever the reason, I hope this operation continues till Bajaur is wiped clean, however long it takes. I think the TTP with their statements about 'taking over any city in Pakistan' have made it clear that if we do not fight them and destroy them in FATA, we will be fighting them elsewhere in Pakistan, while they consolidate their hold in FATA.

 

[fatman17]

Fatman sahib,

It appears the Army is not involved with infantry or SF's at this point, only the FC and the Air Force and Army Aviation with the Cobra's - that is the official position at least.


Militants’ positions pounded in Khar

AM - i cannot comprehend the sudden effectiveness of the FC to conduct such large scale ops without the PA's involvement on the ground. the SF's are in the fight my friend.

 

[fatman17]

Another point to ponder is the timing of the operation coinciding with the terrorist attacks in China, with some speculation that Uighur militants might be training in FATA/Afghanistan.

There have been reports along these lines before as well, of the presence of Uighur's, Chechen's, Uzbek's and Al Qaeda, mostly in the areas dominated by the TTP.

Whatever the reason, I hope this operation continues till Bajaur is wiped clean, however long it takes. I think the TTP with their statements about 'taking over any city in Pakistan' have made it clear that if we do not fight them and destroy them in FATA, we will be fighting them elsewhere in Pakistan, while they consolidate their hold in FATA.

the taliban have decided to vacate bajaur citing "we dont want civilian casaulties" however the main reason we know - pounding by air force and cobras.

 

[Logic note]

Pakistani troops retreat after Taliban onslaught in Bajaur - The Long War Journal

Pakistani troops retreat after Taliban onslaught in Bajaur
By Bill RoggioAugust 10, 2008 10:02 PM

Pakistan's paramilitary Frontier Corps retreated from the Loisam region in the Bajaur tribal after heavy fighting with the Taliban over the past four days. Scores of Pakistani paramilitary troops have been reported killed and scores more captured.

The fighting in Bajaur began on Aug. 7 after government forces moved to occupy the Loisam region in Bajaur. A large Taliban force surrounded and ambushed a 200-man convoy of Frontier Corps forces moving into the region.

Heavy fighting broke out after the Frontier Corps troops attempted to break the encirclement. Pakistani aircraft, helicopters, and artillery joined the fray, reportedly causing heavy casualties among the large Taliban force, estimated at several hundred fighters

The Frontier Corps claimed more than 100 Taliban fighters were killed in the fighting. But Taliban spokesman Mullah Omar disputed the charge, saying no more than 10 of its fighters were killed.

The Frontier Corps also said eight troops were killed and 15 wounded during the four-day battle. But a variety of sources told the Pakistani media that the Frontier Corps was bloodied during the heavy fighting.

Mullah Omar claimed between 80 and 100 paramilitary troops were killed, and another 35 were taken hostage. A security source told Dawn that 55 Frontier Corps troops were taken captive. The Taliban turned over the bodies of 22 troops to tribal elders.

The Frontier Corps force was nearly routed, taking an estimated 60 percent casualties if the Taliban’s' account holds up. The Pakistani military has hidden casualties taken during fighting in the tribal areas in the past.

The Taliban also claimed to have captured two armored vehicles as well as ammunition trucks. In al 25 vehicles were reported to have been captured by the Taliban and another 10 were set fire.

The remaining Frontier Corps force broke the Taliban cordon and fled to their base in Khar, the seat of the tribal agency. Frontier Corps and military officials described the retreat as "a strategy" and refused to admit defeat. “We cannot say we have failed," said military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas.

The Taliban quickly began consolidating their positions, and hundreds of fighters are digging in on the outskirts of Khar near the Frontier Corps headquarters. Taliban forces are also seizing some abandoned check posts and blowing up others along the road to Peshawar.

Bajaur fell under Taliban control after a series of peace deals were signed beginning in 2007. Loisam is near the town of Damadola, where US Predator unmanned aircraft targeted Ayman al Zawahiri in January 2006.

The Bajaur tribal agency is al Qaeda’s command and control hub for operations across the border in northeastern Afghanistan. Bajaur is run by Faqir Mohammed, who assumed control of the radical Tehrik Nifaz-e-Sharia Mohammadi (the TNSM, or the Movement for the Implementation of Mohammad's Sharia Law) after the arrest of Sufi Mohammed.

The TNSM is known as the "Pakistani Taliban" and is the group behind the ideological inspiration for the Afghan Taliban. The TNSM sent over 10,000 fighters into Afghanistan to fight US forces during the opening stages of Operation Enduring Freedom in late 2001 and 2002. Sufi was jailed by the Pakistani government after the TNSM was banned. He was later released as part of a peace deal in May 2008.

Faqir has close links with the Pakistani and Afghan Taliban, as well as senior al Qaeda leaders. He is believed to shelter senior al Qaeda leaders such as Ayman al Zawahiri. The US has conducted at least two airstrikes against safe houses and camps run by Faqir since January 2006.

In December 2007 Faqir rolled the TNSM under the banner of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, which is led by South Waziristan Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud. Faqir is also second in command of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

 

[nitesh]

This is not at all a good news. Some tough steps needs to be taken

 

[IceCold]

The same BS propaganda starts again against FC. Dude there is something called strategy which is implemented not keeping in mind the world opinion. It was not retreating but a tactical step taken by them.